Time to read: less than 1 minute
People are making big decisions these days. Among my friends and clients people are relocating, changing careers, quitting jobs, choosing colleges, and starting businesses. Are you among those who are weighing options and trying to decide the right path to take? If yes, read on. If not, forward this to all the people you know who are making big decisions.
I'll come clean. I'm not a fan of a pros/cons list. That data can be helpful, and it only gets you so far. When I'm working with someone to make a decision, here are the three strategies we use:
- Go up 10,000 feet. Let the details go for a while and focus on the big picture. What are your values? What criteria is most important to you? What do you actually want? Example: If you are choosing a college, decide which 2-3 criteria are crucial, like location, specific programs, size, the presence of sports or choir.
- Be honest with yourself. You can easily be tempted by things like prestige, money, and comparison to others. Those are recipes for bad decisions. Example: Early in my corporate career, I was offered a supervisor position in IT helping the company figure out procedures and processes for cell phones. (I'm dating myself here.) The position was a leadership role, and I would have received a $1,000 raise - a month! I said no. No amount of money was worth doing something I didn't care about.
- Do a gut check. You have all the facts. You've weighed your values and what you want. Now, check your gut. Does the decision feel right? If you're afraid, does the fear feel like the unknown or a good stretch or does it feel like toxic waste? Trust your gut.
Please write to me and tell me all about big decisions you're making. I love to hear from you.
If you are one of the many people who forward these articles to your friends and colleagues, please make sure they know they can sign up for my newsletter here.
Be well.