Making Decisions
As you go through your day
and your life you need to make decisions. Sometimes these decisions are easy to
make because the stakes are not very high. For instance it’s quite ok to go
shopping now rather than later. However, sometimes you may be faced with a
choice in which the stakes are higher. Even for fairly low stake decisions you
can follow a conscious process. If you have worked out your top 10 values for
instance or can at least articulate the values that are important to you, then you
can ask yourself the question “Does this decision uphold my values?” If it
does, then go ahead with it. This process is also similar if you have worked
out a goal that you want to achieve. The question to ask in this case then is
“Does this decision help me to achieve my goal?” If it does, then it may well
be a good decision provided it also upholds your values.
When faced with a big
decision the above two processes may not be enough. In this case, it is good to
sit down and write down the advantages of doing something on one side of a page
and the disadvantages of doing it on the other side. When you have brainstormed
as many advantages and disadvantages as you can think of, ten go through them
all and rate them between 1 and 10, where 10 is most important and 1 is least
important. Next, look through the ratings. If there is a 10 on the disadvantage
side for example, then this might be enough for you to decide not to go ahead
with it. It depends on the reason you gave it a 10. On the other had, it might
mean that you need to do further investigation. Before you make an important
decision it is a good idea to discuss the decision with other people, whether
family, friends or experts, or all. If you at least see an expert then this
might give you enough information to make an informed decision. When you take
care to have as much information as you can and ensure that your values are
being met as well as your goals, then you will be able to accept the
responsibility for the results from your decision.
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