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Decision-making can be one of the toughest and most stressful tasks any of us can face. In facing our normal day to day personal decisions, however, incorporating a couple of key questions can help us make decisions with a more beneficial impact.
Decision-making can be one of the toughest and most stressful tasks any of us can face. Yet, we face numerous decisions every day. Most of us take each one as it comes and form our conclusions as we see fit at that moment. Our decisions and subsequent actions from those decisions are based largely on whatever our emotions, feelings, and initial reactions happened to be at the time.
I would propose that one of the most important decisions we can make is about how we will make decisions. What steps will we take and how will we assure we are making sound decisions? Adding some sort of structure to the process we utilize can help minimize the influence our emotions have and maximize our ability to make objective, well-thought-out decisions.
That said, there are numerous ways to do this, some which can seem fairly complex. In facing our normal day to day personal decisions, however, incorporating a couple of key questions can help us make decisions with a significantly more beneficial impact. This is the “Truth and Consequences” strategy. Here are the questions:
• What is true about this dilemma and the outcome I need?
Asking yourself this will help you focus on the facts available. Jot down everything you know to be true about the situation. How did it come to be? What really is the dilemma? Who is involved? Do I own this decision or is it shared? What outcome is needed? Have strategies utilized in the past really worked? What has worked for other people in similar situations?
• What potential consequences might arise from the options I have?
Considering the impact of options before you make a final decision can help you avoid future related or new dilemmas. What will happen if we do this? Who might be impacted? What’s the worst case scenario for this option? What other positives might come out of a specific option? Is each option consistent with my values and goals, (or, if work-related, the values and goals of your organization)?
The “Truth and Consequences” decision making process includes the two most important factors to remember in your decision-making with three major benefits:
• It provides enough structure to help you make sound decisions with consistency over time,
• It will help you develop critical thinking skills a little bit more with each decision you make, and
• It will assure that you fully understand and can explain why you make specific decisions
About the Author
Donna Birk is a writer, trainer, coach, and Licensed Social Worker. She founded and operates "People Builders," an organization devoted to helping people grow. Get a FREE goal setting guide and FREE E-zine at her website: http://www.youcangetitdone.com
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