How to make a big decision

Life is full of crossroads; decision points that could completely change your life. So how do we know that we’re making the right decision? And how do we make a decision in the first place? In this month’s blog I share my tips so that you feel more prepared to deal with these situations when they arise.

Decisions are complex, because we are complex. They especially feel hard when the stakes are high or both options are similar meaning you can’t decide which to pick. If we want to make a decision and be happy with the decision we made, we need to consider lots of things.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Identify the parts of yourself that want different things – make sure you listen to each part of yourself and see if there’s a way for each part to have their needs met
   

2. List your objectives – consider which decision will help you achieve your objectives, which decision will prevent you from achieving your objectives
   

3. Compare multiple options – there may be different options to consider – make sure you consider all of them carefully
   

4. Explore head versus heart – what’s your head telling you? What’s your heart saying? Are there any similarities?
   

5. Listen to your gut – if you were to listen to your gut, where would that take you? What’s stopping you from doing this? 
   

6. Look beyond the immediate impact – where will you be in 1 week, 1 month, 1 year after the decision? Which future would you prefer?

One final exercise that is quite useful is to pretend that you’ve made the decision and then sit with how you feel about for a while. What comes up in these moments? Does the decision feel right? This exercise can often be quite eye opening as it tells you what it is you actually want and therefore allows you to see what obstacles you need to overcome in order to achieve this.

Remember, avoiding making the decision is in fact a decision in itself! But it will lead to internal tension so no matter how difficult it might feel working through your options and taking your time to make a decision is better than no decision.

If you're losing sleep worrying over a decision that you need to make remember that you're not alone. Book a FREE Strategy Session with me and let's work through it together.

BOOK NOW