THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BEING MORE DECISIVE
Photo by Amanda Souza on Unsplash
Hello friends, I see that a little bit of 2020 has seeped over into the new year with all the craziness that has happened in Washington DC a few days ago. As devastating as it was to observe, I would like to reassure you all that 2021 will still be a wonderful year if you let it, and I think we will all strive to let it be - so let’s not get distracted.
At the beginning of the new year, we plan our lives away with hopes of accomplishing at least some if not all of our goals however, according to this article I came across from Inc.com, 80% of new year resolutions fail and most of them fail only a month after they have been made. While many issues lie at the root of these failures, today we will tackle indecisiveness.
Indecisive - lacking the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively.
Personally, I have struggled with indecisiveness throughout most of the early part of my life, I would first fear making a decision then after making the actual decision, I would then spiral into doubt about what could have been if I had made another decision. It was always a very tedious process and I consistently made excuses to cover up my chronic overthinking habits. I began asking myself- when did I get so bad at pulling the trigger when making decisions, then my inner voice promptly replied when were you ever great at making decisions? Was I just insulted by myself? - yup.
I began looking back to my youthful days to pinpoint where I had missed the mark in making solid decisions, I then realized that a lot of important decisions were already made on my behalf and I was never really worried about the smaller ones. I then began hoping that maybe my decision-making skills were only underdeveloped as opposed to being non-existent.
Here are my top tips for overcoming Indecisiveness.
Identifying your fear
Fear can be as loud as cold sweats or as subtle as a brief hesitation and you have to be able to call fear exactly by its name - fear. Most times fear masks itself as other things so that your brain can process it more mildly. Indecisiveness is usually just fear, a fear of choosing incorrectly as I mentioned in this blog post, being honest with yourself and highlighting fear when it shows up will actually give you more courage to overcome it. You can start by saying to yourself - I am afraid to make this decision because ________and just let your organic thoughts flow.
Learn to trust yourself
Learning to trust your own decisions may be difficult if you have made decisions before that you think were incorrect. Before you make your choice, you should first know how much time you would like to spend making this decision, for example, if this is a small thing like deciding what to make for dinner then you know you have just a small window. Gather and review your data then pull the trigger.
-You have chicken, salmon, beef, rice, and vegetables and 30 minutes of prep time before the family starts acting like angry beasts or before your hot dinner date arrives. In this case, I would go with the salmon as it is easier to prepare, and that gives more time to set the table for the family or slip into something cute before your date arrives. - if it all goes to hell 15 mins into execution you can also order take-out as plan B.
Reassure yourself
Once your choice has been made, quickly reassure yourself. This is a head nod or just a quick yeah to yourself, this will work to boost your spirit. As simple as this step seems, it is essential as its duty is to close the door on your other thoughts before the overthinking occurs. You did the best you could with the information that you were given. - The end.
If thoughts still emerge, just know that most times choosing another path would result in unforeseen events that could have been either negative or positive but may have been no better than the choice you made. Different never means better, it just means different.
Practice
To become awesome at any skill takes practice, so if you are undecisive make decisions intentionally and make them often. Celebrate and take pride in making small decisions, try choosing a great outfit in a short amount of time, or showing up to a restaurant knowing what you would like to eat in advance, and this confidence can be stored and be reused when making larger choices, just remember that you are capable. - You always were.
Thank you for visiting Lemoosh. See you next week!
