August 1, 2006
Doubt-Free Decision Making
A topic that comes up fairly often with my clients is concern, doubt, and worry over decisions they have made. In some cases, they agonize not only over the decisions that lie ahead of them, but also over the consequences of the decisions that lie behind them. Successful people are not immune to worry and doubt. However, they know how to minimize worry and shift their focus to achievements and strides forward, rather than waste energy and time on “what if” thoughts. These four qualities will help you learn to make bold decisions and feel confident in what follows:
Preparation: Some decisions are tough, and it’s natural to take them seriously and worry about the outcome. The best place to invest your most directed thinking is in the advance stages, while you’re formulating a plan and coming up with the best way to proceed. If you invest a good amount of energy in doing your research, evaluating all the possibilities, and coming from a position of knowledge and strength, you’ll feel much better about your choice, and you can save yourself the frustration of second guessing and doubting your decisions.
Just as those who prepare in advance for stressful situations (such as important meetings and presentations) lay the foundation for successful performance and delivery, those who think decisions through enjoy the freedom from future worry and doubt about those choices. Additionally, the more practice you get at preparing for the future, the better you become at doing it automatically.
Decision Making: Once you have decided upon the best course of action, make your decision boldly and follow through. It may turn out that the choice you made was not the best one. However, you’re not doing yourself any favors in kicking yourself about it later. Leaders certainly do not always make perfect decisions, but they act with courage, prepare themselves for worst-case scenarios, and learn to make new and smarter decisions. We are all works in progress. Gain whatever wisdom you can from the a less-than-ideal situation, and move ahead with energy and lightness.
Confidence: A confident person doesn’t apologize—to others or himself—for living life the way it makes most sense to him. Because he believes in his goals, his purpose, and his lifestyle, he stands behind it and doesn’t spend too much time questioning himself. Tangling your mind up in self doubt is a way of blaming, discouraging, and distracting yourself from your purpose, of reducing who you are to the level of minutiae. You’re bigger and better than that, and you have more important things to do with your time than lose sleep over the past.
Persistence: Persistent people make as many mistakes as the rest of us, but they don’t dwell on them, advertise them, or let them discourage them for long. The true secret to success is not talent, connections, or money—the secret is simple determination, effort, and ongoing hard work. The secret is rolling with the punches life throws at you and forging ahead consistently. When you realize that great opportunities lie perpetually in your path, you learn to stop sweating the small stumbles along the way.
Filed under: Personal Strategic Planning
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