Photo by Julian Jagtenberg
People should not take their choices for granted. This is because each decision, each simple yes or no, could make a “world of a” difference in a person’s life.
People make decisions in almost every minute of their lives. It could be a simple choice of deciding between a burger or a sandwich or a life-changing decision of whether to take the plunge and shift career or get committed to a relationship. People’s choices could also affect others, which is why decision-making is an essential life skill that should not be taken for granted.
People’s choices could be a pivotal and go-no-go deal that would determine their success or how they wanted their life to be lived.
Dr. Julius Mosley’s book about God and his righteousness, Living Life with Blinders On, is an eye-opener to readers that highlights the significance of making choices that would impact an individual’s life after death. The book states, “God has given us choices to make while we are alive.” People should make these decisions with care if they want to be part of God’s redemption plan.
Why is decision-making a life skill?
Who would have thought that a simple yes or no could be something that impactful that could affect the rest of your day? For instance, you set the alarm early in the morning to avoid the daytime traffic rush. When that alarm sounds, and in the middle of a drowsy state, it becomes a struggle of yes, turning off the alarm and getting up, or no, turning off the alarm and going back to sleep.
You know what’s going to happen. If you choose to go back to sleep, it’s going to be a mad hour of hell by the time you get up and about, plus there’s also that tendency of you being in a not-so-good mood throughout the day. If you choose to wake up, not only do you avoid the rush hour traffic, you set a more positive note to your day by being on time.
What is the effect on someone with good decision-making skills?
Enhance an Individual’s Efficiency
The persons skilled at making choices are guaranteed to save a lot more time in the decision-making and are likely to maximize or fully utilize available resources. A good decision-maker can recognize a pattern and follow a sequence. Good selection skills can smooth out any muddled processes and pave the road towards a clearer and more focused direction.
It’s like building a house. A person with experience in the construction industry is likely to make good choices when selecting the material needed to build the house compared to someone with zero experience. The experienced person gets to save more time and money when building that dream home.
Boosts Confidence
This is the upshot of good decision-making skills. If the person keeps producing good results with their decisions, they gain more confidence in themselves, even when encountering the most difficult challenges in their life.
How to be a Better Decision-Maker
If you’ve identified yourself as a good decision-maker, you can become an influential person. Either way, this skill could help you stand out and be more assertive and poised when dealing with whatever challenges and obstacles life throws.
Here are some steps that could help you become more skilled at making decisions.
Goals and Values Setting
The choices people make in their life, big or small, are unconsciously aligned with their existing life values and principles. Hence, it’s essential that individuals should be grounded and in touch with their values and should have that mindfulness of what they want from their life. Their goal should be that roadmap that provides them a guideline or a direction each time they make choices.
You’ll become happier and healthier when you factor your values, goals, and passion into making decisions.
Always Weigh the Pros and Cons
It’s always good to take a step back when faced with an overwhelming situation and forced to decide. Don’t ever be forced or coerced into decision-making. Do not make any choices if your emotions are running high and not stable. Always consider the advantages and disadvantages of each side in a decision. You can write these down in a list form to help you get a more comprehensive and precise picture. Listing the pros and cons also looks at the long-term and short-term consequences. Think about the futuristic impacts of your choices.
Get Feedback
Receiving feedback can be intimidating for some people because there’s the innate nature of an individual to shy away from criticism or take any critique as something negative.
Asking for and getting feedback is one of the essential steps toward becoming an effective decision-maker. Other people’s opinions can help you expand your perspectives, become more open to helpful suggestions and advice, and overcome personal biases and prejudice. You don’t necessarily have eyes on anything and everything that’s going around you, so it would be good for you to have somebody spot a fault or flaw in something that you have done that you didn’t notice otherwise.
And welcoming other people’s feedback would not only make you a more informed decision-maker, but you’d also have the opportunity to avoid repeating the same mistakes that you or other people have made.
You Can Do It
Becoming a good and effective decision-maker takes time and a lot of practice – but it’s something not impossible to achieve if you’ve got your heart and mindset to become that person. Remember to always be in tune with yourself, with your heart and mind. And always remember that whatever choices you make, big or small, will always leave a mark in your life, whether in this life or the next.
The Damsel’s Files 