Making Conscious Choices

November 2016 Insights

How many times can you recall being torn making a decision? Whether it be as big of a decision regarding concerns over our health or close love one or maybe as small as what birthday gift I should get my best friend? Making “good” decisions is so often confused for making the “right” decision. When we look for the “one” right decision, we can be looking forever! Knowing that there are multiple decisions that can be made within any given situation, each having advantages and disadvantages, can allow us to make the “best” decision for ourselves based on what we know and value within that moment in time. And even more importantly recognizing that the “best” decision we can make, can change, modify, or be learned from if need be moving forward.

decisionsI know easier said then done but I have a great tool to share I personally use to lessen the head banter I can get into when making a decision I feel particularly torn making. This method of decision making was shared with me while studying as a graduate student in iPEC’s COR.E Dynamics program. It’s called 4 Ways to Make a Decision and all you need to know before using it, is clarity regarding your core values, something I have referred to numerous times in my posts and can be easily learned through my last years November newsletter, shockingly titled “Core Values”. The 4 Ways to Make a Decision tool, found below, looks at four ways of making a decision between two or more choices and generally is most helpful for long term decisions, not for decisions we make in the moment. Although with practice I have become so well acquainted with this tool that I am able to utilize it even with decisions I have to make more immediately.

4 Ways To Make A Decision

1. Make a list of the pros and cons of each choice

2. Go down the road of each choice-6 months from now, if you do option 1, how do you feel about yourself and the situation? Do the same for option 2, etc. Which feels better to you?

3. Look at the values that you are honoring by choosing your first option. Do that for each option. Then ask yourself, “On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all and 10 is extremely important, how important is honoring that value to me?, and see which value is most important to you.

4. Center yourself, take a deep breathe. Then ask yourself the question you want to make a choice about and see what your intuitive response is.

Now keep in mind, in order for this exercise to be most effective, you must be as objective and open minded as possible to all options you are considering. Otherwise, if you already have a preference you’ll likely have the tendency to reconfirm any preference you may have. Remember it’s not about making the right decision but making your BEST decision.

Wishing You The Best Of Success

-Holly-