The ability to make a form and resolute decision has the power to change our lives because decisions lead to results. A quote from Raynold Alorse. The decisions you make today lead to your destiny. Wisdom from Tony Robbins.
It does not matter where you come from. What matters most is where you decide to go. Your best decision is to make better decisions for your future.
The Power of Your Potential
Focus on your limitless potential and know that there is something inside of you that is superior to your current circumstances. Be the stubborn optimist that believes in your human potential.
When we lack confidence, we are easily inclined to listen to our inner voice of negativity and opinions of others around us. Refuse to listen to those voices and instead focus on the power of your potential and on what you want to achieve.
Thought Seeds – Growing the Garden of Your Mind
You cannot grow figs from thistles. – (Matthew 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-45)
You can’t think and feel negatively and expect positive things to come into your life. Yes, you do reap what you sow.
If you are planting negative seeds of criticism, guilt, regret and fear than you will grow weeds in your mind. If you are planting thoughts of gratitude, love, compassion and generosity, your garden will surely bloom. From a great mind great decisions will grow.
How to Make Great Decisions
Before we look at how to make a great decision, first we review The Four Villains of Decision-Making as taken from Daring to Live Fully, the full post here.
1. Narrow framing: The tendency to define our choices too narrowly, or to set them in binary terms. Here are three examples:
- Narrow framing: Should I break up with my partner?
- Better framing: How can I make this relationship better?
- Narrow framing: Should I buy a car?
- Better framing: How can I best use my money so that my family will be better off?
- Narrow framing: Should I accept this job offer?
- Better framing: What’s the best way for me to generate income?
2. The confirmation bias: In most situations we allow our guts to come to a decision, and then we look for information that will support that decision. That is, we have a tendency to spotlight the information that supports the conclusion we’ve come to and to disregard any information that opposes it.
3. Short-term emotions: Our short-term emotions often lead us to make the wrong choices. For example, suppose that you’re offered a job that pays a lot more money than what you’re currently making. Your short-term emotion will probably be happiness at the prospect of making more money. However, this short-term happiness could lead you to accept the job offer without taking into account things like following:
- That the job is in a city far away from your friends and family;
- That the work you’ll be doing doesn’t have much meaning for you; and
- That the person you’ll be working for has a difficult temperament.
That is, the short-term flush of happiness could lead you to make the wrong decision.
4. Overconfidence: People have a tendency to think that they know more than they do about the future and how it will unfold. They feel certain that X or Y will take place, and they make decisions based on their predictions. However, a lot of the time it turns out that their predictions about the future are wrong.
So Before Deciding, first, do some decision analysis
Research in psychology has revealed that our decisions are disrupted by an array of biases and irrationalities: We’re overconfident. We seek out information that supports us and downplay information that doesn’t.
- Pay attention to your state of mind. Never make decisions when you are angry, fearful or upset.
- Ask yourself, what do you hope to achieve by making this decision?
- What do you think will happen if you don’t make this decision?
- What are the long term effects of this decision?
- What advice would I give my closest friend if they were making this decision?
Apply the WRAP process as described in the book Decisive. Explore all the opportunities, test them, and prepare to be wrong –
- Widen Your Options
- Reality Test Your Assumptions
- Attain Distance Before Deciding
- Prepare to Be Wrong
Then Make Your Decision
- State clearly what you want.
- Take immediate action with small steps to follow.
- Be realistic. Remember to WRAP your decisions. Test them along the way.
Always decide on your own. Sure, factor in other people’s opinions, but bear in mind that they may value things (very) differently. Blindly following other people’s advice may lead to disastrous decisions — even if they are based on “sound” advice from people with the best intentions of helping you. Read more wise advice from LiteMind here
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
My keystone decision – To commit to contributing something unique each day to enrich the world.
I’m curious, what decisions are you making to better your life today?
Recommended Reading: My Library of Inspiration
Recommended Reading
Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised (TM)
Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!
The Power of Decision: A Step-By-Step Program to Overcome Indecision and Live Without Failure Forever (Tarcher Master Mind Editions)
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Complete Collection of Works with analysis and historical background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics)
The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life Master Any Skill or Challenge by Learning to Love the Process
I love the way she handles the creative younger sister in her mind, the one who wants to do everything at once. She calms her down by devoting 15 minutes a day to letting her mind run free and capturing those creative thoughts on index cards and in notebooks – to do later on. Listen to her interview with Rob Bell 
