Have you ever been confused? So confused that you are having sleepless nights over the right option to go for among others? Or have you ever been given a deadline to choose between options A and B and were extremely scared of making the wrong choice?
Every one experiences the process of decision-making on a daily basis. We have to make decisions on trivial things like clothes to wear, foods to eat, outings to go on, and on more crucial issues like the university to attend, a career choice and business options to undertake, amongst others.
Find below five tips on decision making:
Determine the worst possible outcome
Sometimes, all the choices presented before you look attractive. When you’re in this situation, weigh your options like a meat seller weighs kilos of meat. Determine the ones which may end up having bad outcomes and slowly eliminate until you are left with the one with the decision which will lead to the least worst outcome.
Sooner is always best
It is usually better to make decisions earlier on than later on. This is because you will end up preventing problems that could arise if you waited till later. For example, if you hate your job, make the decision to leave sooner. Most people make decisions late because they are scared of change. The best way to take speedy actions is to remember that delay would only cause more problems in the long run.
Do intelligent research
Bad decisions are a result of listening to the wrong people, being ignorant, and not doing proper research on a particular choice. Making decisions too quickly without carrying out proper investigation could lead to problems. One of the fundamentals of good decision making is doing intelligent research on different options and choosing the one with the best outcome.
Travel
Travelling is a very good opportunity to meet different people from all walks of life. Endeavour to embark on a trip to another state or country. Even if you can’t afford a very long trip, you can travel within your country. Moreover, not all states in a country are similar. When you travel, you get to meet people with different values, lifestyles, work ethics, priorities, and sources of happiness. Travelling will give you experience with many people and places, and this will help you make better decisions because you will have a more mature understanding of the world around you.
Read Non-fiction
Reading is an extremely powerful exercise because it plunges you into the mindset of authors who usually have more experience than you. According to the famous American entrepreneur, Jim Ron, “You are the average of the five people you spend your time with”. All human beings learn from their surroundings. This is how things like culture, language, traditions and slants are formed. People adopt each other’s mindsets and learn their habit after spending a large amount of time with each other.
A book contains the words, advice, ideas, mindset and even experiences of the author. There are tons of books by and about successful people. Pick an author or a character of a book you like and see him/her as your role model (as long as his/her lifestyle agrees with yours). When you do this, you will have essentially added a new friend to your already existing friends; a friend who may be wiser, older and most importantly more successful than you. You will start adopting some of their mindsets and habits, and this is what eventually leads you to make better decisions.
