I was in two minds about writing this post on decision making! Only kidding, but sometimes we know the direction we want to head in and sometimes we don’t. Decision making can be tough, but often it’s because there is an emotion underlying the decision that needs to be made.
Usually it’s fear.. fear of failing, fear of making the wrong decision, self-doubt of some kind. It’s that ‘yeah, but what if…’ moment. I know that when I’m being indecisive it’s often due to my annoying perfectionism, which again is just another way of saying ‘fear’. It’s just wrapped up in a slightly different package. If it’s not perfect then that’s not great. What a load of rubbish! It’s usually from our mistakes that we develop and grow as a person, in ways that never would have happened otherwise. How many ‘hoovers’ did Dyson try before getting to his end result? it took 5,127 prototypes and 15 years to get it right!
www.katrinameyer.com via Pinterest
So how do you make decisions?
When I was studying for my Coaching qualification I came across a really useful tool that I now use with my clients. It’s an IDA formula – you can use it to help you whenever the self doubt or uncertainty creeps in.
INTENTION – DECISION – ACTION
So let’s break it down..
INTENTION
What do you intend to happen? What do you want to happen?
- ‘I want to get a new job’
- ‘I want to be more confident’
- ‘I want to achieve 12 things today but have no idea where to start’
DECISION
Once you’ve written down your answers decide how you will change your behaviour
- Should I stay or should I go? ‘I know I keep telling myself to stay where I am but I’m not happy at my current job and just keep moaning about it, so I will stop telling myself that it’s paying the bills and start to go out and look for something else that suits me’ (Great strategy by the way as there may be someone that is desperate for your current job – give someone the opportunity to try it and you move on!)
- ‘I don’t like meeting new people but if I keep standing in the corner at venues I won’t get to have interesting conversations and I will stay where I am. I will start talking more to people.’
- ‘I will stop procrastinating, prioritise my top tasks and just start!’
ACTION
- ‘I will sit down with pen and paper and think about what I do want to do and then start applying for jobs’
- ‘I will smile at each person I meet in the street and attend one networking meeting a week’ (If you hate networking download my 7 Tips to Networking pdf
- ‘I will remove all distractions, work for blocks of time, stop going on Facebook, ringing people’
So you make the wrong decision? So what?!! As some of my Cappuccino Coaching clients will tell you one of my sayings is ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Keep asking yourself that question and you will realise that sometimes the hardest part is making the decision to make a decision!!
The more you make decisions, whether it’s just a choice of coffee when you’re out, or what movie to watch, the more you will kick your indecision into touch!
I’d love you to share what decisions you’re faced with / taking. Leave a comment in the section below.
Another great tool for decision making is knowing your values, they are your guide in life. Read more on that in my Values blog post.
Want help to get more clarity around the right path to take? Have some coaching with me. Together we can work on what’s holding you back and put together a strategy to build your self-belief. You can then start to make some real decisions and start living your life in colour!
About Ruby
Subscribe on iTunes
Ruby,
I like the concept of IDA – has a simple resonance to it
All about keeping it simple Paul 🙂
Ruby recently posted…A Smart Strategy For Decision Making
I like the IDA concept- it has a resonance about it
Thanks Paul, I really like it as a concept 🙂