Smart Tips to Make the BEST Decision Possible

Decision making is an important pre-cursor to action. But there’s a delicate balance between making a decision just to move forward, and making the best decision for your life and goals. These tips can help guide you towards the wisest decision, no matter your situation.

Analyze your cost/benefit and risk/reward ratios. A careful, reasonable analysis of all possible risks and rewards, together with the cost and benefit of your options provides a valuable, concrete foundation for your decision.

Don’t discount intuition. While the facts are important, you should also listen to your gut. After you’ve considered the facts, consider what your heart is telling you – and all those little pieces of information that can’t be quantified. And never compromise your values, your character, or your integrity. Sometimes we can feel pressured by other people or outside forces into making a decision we’re not comfortable with. Whatever your decision may be, it’s important that you feel at peace.

Progress, not perfection. Sometimes it can feel like neither choice we’re deciding between is a great option. Work to choose the best option for you … but remember it may not necessarily be the perfect option. Remind yourself to revisit the issue again down the road, and constantly work towards a better solution.

Think for yourself. If you’re feeling like there are “too many cooks in the kitchen” in your decision making process, take a step back. Assess how you feel about a situation – not what you’ve been told, what your mom thinks, or how your boss feels about it. Getting a handle on your own opinion can help quiet the din of external input.

Turn your brain off. Sometimes, especially when it comes to really big decisions, you need to just take a step back and think about something else. Quiet your mind, and take a breather to allow your brain to recharge. You’ll be amazed with the new solutions and increased peace that can come when you take your mind off a problem!

Have a back-up plan. Unfortunately in life there’s no guarantee that we’ll always make the right choice. And important key to making the best decision is having a Plan B – the action you’ll take in case your first decision ends up not working out like you’d hoped. Instead of fearing failure, have confidence in your ability to roll with the punches.