I have been pondering over a number of big decisions that my husband and I will need to make in the coming weeks. Feelings of anxiety have tried to push their way into my mind as I battle not to carry this weight. Worrying will do nothing to change my circumstances but it will do a mighty great job of stealing my joy – only if I allow it.
By nature I am not a procrastinator but I do over think the repercussions that may come after I have made a decision. I feel a great sense of responsibility whilst reluctantly accepting that I will have to live with my choices, regardless of the outcome.
We all make decisions daily, some may well be small but they are decisions nonetheless. Even deciding which train to catch, what to eat for lunch, which client to call and so on. Our lives are panned out by the decisions that we make – quite deep when you truly give it some thought. Perhaps this is why I do not take decision making lightly.
I came across this quote from Elbert Hubbard;
“It does not take much strength to do things, but it takes a great deal of strength to decide what to do.”
Making key decisions, say in the corporate world requires an element of ruthlessness along with an assurity and complete ownership of your decision whether your plans come to pass or not. The proud need not apply!
If you look at top entrepreneurs, Sir Richard Branson and Bill Gates, you will notice that they are determined, competitive and confident in making decisions. Sir Richard has admitted to failing a number of times and has quoted that in the world of business, one needs to lick their wounds and get back on their feet. Bill Gates takes two weeks out in every year to spend alone to focus entirely on his challenges and opportunities in order to make key decisions.
Are you decisive?
How much ownership do you take when making decisions?
What is your attitude when life does not go according to plan?
organisedlady 
Very true Phoenicia. Making decisions can be a taxing proposition but since that is basically all we ever do you would think we would be good at it. I have found that the key decisions in my life have always been made without concern. Not because I am good at it but simply because the answer starts in your gut and leaves you no other route to take.
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The well known saying:
“Always trust your gut feeling”!
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You hit the nail on the head with this post.
When you think about it, our lives are nothing but making decisions, sometimes trivial, sometimes important.
We can make the right decision, or the wrong one. Sometimes making the wrong one, with the right facts right in front of us.
It is strange how sometimes, one small wrong decision, can change your life forever.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
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Thanks for your encouraging comment, William. I am pleased that you enjoyed reading my post.
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There was time when I got so caught up in making the, “right” decision, decisions were made for me because of passing time. Then I realized, decisions aren’t carved in stone and I always had the opportunity to , “decide again”. I found that so freeing
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Thank you for your encouraging comment Pamela.
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I love the quote “It does not take much strength to do things, but it takes a great deal of strength to decide what to do.” It is such a relief when I’ve finally made a decision. I kept saying, “I THINK I’m moving to Florida.” Until one day I asked myself “are you going or not?” Once I made my decision the details fell into place and I was anxious to be on my way.
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Once you take that first step, things tend to fall into place.
Florida sounds great!
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I’m decisive most of the time. when I’m not it’s because I feel a lack of confidence about the subject or item. When that happens, I spend way to much time pondering what I should do. Then I just take a leap of faith and work for my instincts. Most of the time it works out. When it doesn’t I usually find a solution. 🙂
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Thank you for your positive take on decision making.
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I can say that I’m pretty good at decision making. Growing up I used to be indecisive at times. A few years ago I stopped doing that. Life has been better ever since.
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Good on you Jason!
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Love what Marty said about making our own choices/failures. Great post, Phoenicia.
I am quick to make many decisions, however, there are times I can overanalyze a topic to death. The only way to control that tendency is to list things–I’ve forgotten the name of the process. I list pros/cons then give each a number of importance. When I get to the bottom and total I am often surprised by which thing is more important.
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Thanks Rose Mary.
Thanks for your tip on how you break down your decision making. Small chunks are always easier to stomach.
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I’m decisive when working with clients and planning projects I’m working on, but when it comes to my own writing, I am not decisive. I put off starting as an avoidance tactic, but it always goes well once I make that decision to take the plunge and simple begin because that really is the hardest part… the beginning.
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Jeri – I find that once I put pen to paper, the ideas flow.
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Great point Phoenicia. Making decisions and taking action isn’t all there is. We must also have strength and faith that what we are doing is the best way possible for our progression and not look back regretful of what we did. Thanks for sharing.
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You are welcome Sabrina.
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I love the Hubbard quote. I think I’m pretty decisive. I don’t think too much about most things. I tend to just jump in and then figure it out as I go. This causes my husband some consternation since he’s about as opposite of decisive as a person can be. Hopefully in the long run, we balance each other out!
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It is a great quote Meredith.
I am sure you will both continue to bring a balance to your marriage.
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Phoenicia, I do not have a problem making decisions but will always try to make them based on information I’ve gathered first. That way I pretty well know what I’m getting into – If it turns out to be the wrong decision, fine, re-assess and make a new one.
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Thank you for your take on this topic Lenie.
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Once you make a decision it does you no good to second guess yourself. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you do. You’re going to make some good decisions in life and your going to make some questionable ones. We all do.
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Yes Ken – bold, confident decisions!
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Love this quote. “It does not take much strength to do things, but it takes a great deal of strength to decide what to do.”
I am very decisive in business as well as in life. I make a decision and try never to second guess as my first decision is usually the right one.
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Arleen – it is your gut instinct.
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Great article Phoenicia! Several years ago I choose to leave the corporate world with it’s large safety net and abundance of policies and procedures and went to work for an independent hotel. Something the general manager said to me applies here – “The really exciting thing is we have the freedom to make all our own decisions … and the really scary thing is we have all the freedom to make all our own decisions.” I didn’t realize it at that time but what he was tactfully pointing out to me was that the buck stops with us – no policies or upper management to fall back on. You decide, you own the consequences. Best job of my life … except for the one I have now of course. 🙂
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Heraldmarty – I quite like the idea of complete freedom to do things your way. Granted, if a system does not work you find a plan B.
I am sure no day was the same.
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In most situations I’m decisive Phoenicia. And my decisions, while I do research and gather input from others, is in the end my own. If things don’t go according to plans, if I find myself stuck in a poor decision, I keep my eye on my spirit, meaning, I pray more! Excellent post.
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Thank you Pat! Praying always works – whether life is plain sailing or plain scary!
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I am very indecisive for the most part. At least about things I don’t really care one way or another. Or I like to second guess things.
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The decisions we ponder on are those that could have a detrimental effect on our lives and the people around us.
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All human beings on and off in life come to a crossroads and have to take huge decisions that amount t,o more or less, win or lose. There’s simply no avoiding it. The only thing we can do is find out as much as possible, get advice and when we feel we have enough information make a decision. When we fail we have to learn and move on. Is there anything in life we learn as much from as failure? Richard Branson could not afford to fail when he started out but he failed, learnt and moved on.
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As you said, we can only make the best choice based on the information we have at hand. At times we rely on our gut instinct.
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I think life is a series of decisions and consequences. The thought doesn’t weigh me down though, probably because I am very slow to make decisions. I ruminate, reflect on all the forseeable outcomes, consider the worst and best case scenarios, decide if ‘the juice is worth the squeeze’ take some time to listen to my heart an consider what decision I would make if I didn’t care about following the crowd, or what other people might think, then an I put off making the decision for as long as I can without changing the key elements cos I’ve waited too long, an finally, when I have no other choice, I make the decision. With such a long lead-in time (eg the piercing at 17 that looked cool but I’d been thinking about it for 3 years, knew with certainty I really wanted and still love it.) decisions or changes that look quick and impulsive are usually the opposite! I also hav decided (!) not to worry about consequences – I can’t predict paradigm shifts, nor control external things that will alter the impact of my decision. I therefore always make decisions in a spirit of hope. The goalposts will change, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, nor will it not necessarily work against me. An in the unfortunate scenario where it looks that way, I just need to evaluate the new situation and make another decsion! Good luck with yours Phoenicia!
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Thank you for your epic post – pleased I gave you much food for thought!
You have made some great points;
1. You go with your heart
2. The goal posts will change in the course of time
A piercing eh …………………..
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A very cool piercing 😉
Was a thought-provoking piece!
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Thanks for this post. I feel that while I’m not horrible at decision making, I do need to feel more comfortable with taking risk. I often get nervous making big decisions because I don’t know if it is 100% the right choice – but of course, nobody ever knows. And many do say that if you feel nervous, you’re in the right place, but you need to be able to move through the nerves to be successful.
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Thank you Erica for reading my post. As you have said, we have to step out and sometimes take a risk. The alternative is to do nothing meaning no progress whatsoever.
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I vary a lot on how long I have to think about something before making a decision. If it isn’t critical, I decide quickly but I make myself think it all through if it is.
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It pays to truly be at peace when making any decision.
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SO very true. I think it depends, for me, on how much weight I give the outcome of the decision I am trying to make. Sometimes we paralyze ourselves by giving to much weight to the outcome I try if I sense I a doing this, to step back and remind myself that if I make a mistake,it will NOT be then end of the world!
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Fear of failure often stops people from moving forward.
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Hmmm! How true. Your decision today determines how your tomorrow will be. Hence we need to own our decisions since we know…how our tomorrow plans out is dependent on what we decide today.
Thought provoking!
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Thanks for your comment, Adebayo.
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