TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE: 8 METHODS TO AVOID MAKING BAD CHOICES

So, how do you make the wisest decisions even if you’re “not smart enough”?

I’m writing today to give you steps that will not tell you what choices to make; instead, I’ll give you hints on how to make these difficult decisions. I hope you noticed where I said, “I’ll give you hints on how to make these tough choices,” rather than “how to simplify these tough choices,” because the truth is that tough choices were designed to be difficult. The complexities of the decisions you must make, as well as the serious consequences that may result, cannot simply vanish.

The most important thing to remember, and what will ultimately summarise every method I’ll be listing for you, is to divide these options into easy and simple steps, and then conquer.

What are the steps to turning critical choices into simple ones?

1.You must write down your choices, either from easiest to most difficult or vice versa. This will help you understand how complex some of these choices are, and it will also save you from getting cold feet or making misconceptions in the long run.

2.Have you made a list of your choices? Great! The next step is to ask yourself an important question: “What do I hope to achieve by making these choices at the end of the day?” Giving this question thoughtful consideration and gathering answers will lead you to the best choices.

3.You must consider all possible alternatives to these choices. I know you already have alternatives, which is why it’s difficult to choose, but have you thoroughly considered and written down ALL of them?

4.Keep your options open as well as the goals you hope to achieve by making these choices. The next step is to think deeply and rule out any alternatives that will conflict with your goals and your accomplishments at the end of the race.

5.Sometimes your goals may choose to get in the way of others in order to outshine them. How do you deal with this? You’ll have to learn how to make sacrifices. Learn to prioritise your accomplishments and goals. Which one will have to stand in for the other?

6.You must eliminate uncertainties. The likelihood of uncertainties appearing when attempting to set priorities is 100%; what you must do is clear them out and understand them.

7.When uncertainties are linked to your successes, you run the risk of not getting the desired results. At this point, you must accept the fact that these uncertainties and risks are not going away. After you accept this fact, you can begin making plans to ensure that these risks do not overshadow the choices or alternatives you must make.

8.Consequently, consider how these choices and their alternatives are related to one another. You could make a decision today that will affect your future. You must prepare yourself by gathering enough information that relates to your current choices and writing them down so that when some, if not all, of these questions and doubts arise in the future, you will already have a way to confront them and bring them to their knees.

The basic gist of everything I’ve mentioned is that you should try to be vigilant when making choices, and take charge of your life by examining which choices you’ll make and which ones you’ll end up getting rid of. You should not become accustomed to witnessing everything that happens to you, both good and bad, when you can always avoid making poor decisions.