Making Clear, Conscious Decisions in Control of Your Life

Mankind has been blessed with the free will of making decisions. These decisions can enrich our life or cause it to take a turn for the worse. Not a day goes by that we don’t make dozens, even hundreds of decisions, most without even thinking.

Daily, we decide when to arise, what to eat, what to wear and what route to take to work or wherever our destination leads. These are made with little pause or thought. Others require a little more insight such as where to vacation, who to date, who to marry, which car to buy and which neighborhood is best for security and schools.

The decisions we make, whether major or minor, affect our lives to no small degree and those decisions must be made. Some of us approach decision making with reluctance and dread being afraid of the consequences. Sure, almost any decision we make could involves conflict and dissatisfaction. Yet, we must take control and make the decision and accept the outcome, good or bad.

Decision making is a lot like bill paying. Both must be done and usually within a certain time frame. If we’re late paying our electric bill the consequences can be the discontinuance of power or a late fee.

If you fail to make a decision in a timely manner it could be taken out of your hands and placed in the hands of others. Avoiding decisions or avoiding paying bills may seem easier but results are rarely desirable.

Why must you make a decision? Identify the purpose, determine exactly what has to be solved and when. It might make the problem become clearer if you make a pro and con list. Study the list and the different choices and evaluate each in terms of consequences. If I make this decision what will happen and if I make another decision this is the result.

Determine the best decision, evaluate the outcome and make the decision. You might be criticized for making the wrong decision but you’ve done the best you can do with all the information available and you moved forward. You made a decision. You did something before being run over from behind. The only people who are never criticized are those who do nothing.

A key decision can alter your life. Accept this fact and approach it with eagerness. In the movie Sliding Doors, a woman’s life is changed dramatically because she failed to make it through a sliding door.

The movie gives us an opportunity to see how she handles each set of circumstances. This is probably an over dramatization, but illustrates the power and importance of our decisions.

Gather information on the decision to be made, determine the best alternative and put that decision into action. Look back only to learn from your past decisions but don’t dwell on them. Move ahead and focus on your future. Decision making requires a plan. If you don’t know where you’re going then one decision is as good as the other.

It’s a good feeling to make a conscious decision about yourself and your life and each time you do this the process becomes easier and your confidence builds. Make a commitment, make a difference and take control of your life.