When you make good decisions, you build your self-confidence.
"SELF-CONFIDENCE is nothing more than belief in one's ability to decide and in one's decisions.
When you cannot make decisions, you build up stress, create confusion and make people wait. Even worse, when you put off decisions, you miss opportunities.
So how do you make great decisions?
"Given information and the purpose, anybody can make a decision.
In other words, decision-making is like playing cards. If you know which cards each player is holding (information), you make good decisions and win the money (purpose).
15 QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU MAKE DECISIONS
From starting a business to changing careers, buying a house to choosing a vacation, any decision is easy to make, if you have the purpose and information.
For example, Martins needs a Laptop (purpose). He narrows his choices to: 1) buy the N75,000 Dell, 2) buy the N40,000 used Dell, 3) Replace battery worth N20,000.
Once you have your purpose and options, find the answers (information) to these 15 questions for each of your options. Your best correct decision will be obvious.
1. What is the goal or purpose of each option?
2. How do the purposes of each option align with your goals?
3. What are the statistics for each choice? Each of your options has statistics.
4. Finances? Two vital questions: What will each option cost? How much money will each return? The cost is not a barrier if the predicted return is greater than the cost.
5. Sequences? Most people forget to look at the exact steps involved with each solution.
For example, when interviewing job applicants, ask "If I asked you to start on Monday, what would you do?" Some applicants say, "Well, I might not have a car. . ." or "My pet cat has been sick, so . . ." A smart job applicant says, "I'll show up five minutes early!"
6. Is this choice legal and ethical? Is it fair to everyone involved? Will you be proud of your choice in the future? Would you have any problem telling a judge or TV reporter about your choice?
7. What is the probability of success?
8. Do I have the resources? Resources include people, space, skill, knowledge, money and time. Do you have the means for each choice? If not, the choice may not be right for you.
9. What are the end results? If everything went smoothly, how would each choice turn out? What would the results be? How would it change things in a year or two?
10. What do others want me to do and why? As your choice probably affects other people, you want to know what choice they want you to make. More importantly, why they want you to make it.
11. What are the potential gains and benefits? The "upside" is a big part of your decision.
12. What are the potential losses and liabilities? Worst-case scenarios and risks. For each risk, look at how you can protect yourself or your group.
13. What are all the barriers and difficulties for each choice? What gets in the road of each choice. Lack of money? No one else wants it? Not enough time? Fear?
14. What would be easy and effortless about each choice? Some choices involve no barriers at all.
15. What do I really want? What am I willing to do? What interests me? Which choice turns me on and makes me happiest? Why do I feel like doing it?
Interest and enthusiasm are vital to a decision ending up being the right decision. A decision with lots of interest and enthusiasm is more successful than a brilliant decision with no interest or enthusiasm.
Because of your purpose and sufficient information, you will make correct decisions.
A series of correct decisions build your certainty and confidence. And when others learn you are usually right, they follow your lead. Everyone succeeds!
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