Life constantly pushes us to make decisions, some easier and others so important that they can torment us for a long time. Sometimes, in fact, the weight of doubt grows so much, due to the endless “what ifs”, that it seems to crush us.
But are there ways to make calm decisions without psychological cost?
What does “good decision” mean?
You don’t have to be a philosopher or an expert to make the right choices. A good decision is one that really suits you and meets your need, not necessarily the one that pleases everyone or offers short-term security. It is the one that expresses you and meets your need at a given moment.
The first step is to learn to know yourself and your values, the inner compass of your choices, which will help you not to regret and avoid regrets, which most often arise from the expectations of others.
“Cut the Road” in Decision Making
Cognitive errors, that is, the biases that each of us carries, affect the way we see the world and often mislead us. Learn to recognize and manage them, so that you can distinguish what you really want from what you think you want. Because these unconscious interferences affect the way we perceive things and our choices, leading us to be hesitant in our decisions.
Good decisions do not require haste
Haste is the enemy of good judgment. It clouds your thoughts and leads you to impulsive decisions that you are not happy with. Give yourself time to collect reliable information and think before you decide. Time always works in our favor as it is our ally in making good decisions.
Gathering reliable information remains a simple but often neglected tool. The better we understand the situation, the clearer the choice becomes. While writing down the pros and cons helps to clarify thoughts and consolidate our decisions.
Eight tools for making decisions with confidence, calmness and clarity
1. Rely on your personal values to make choices that meet your priorities
2. Recognize the biases that influence your thinking
3. Take time to think, especially in important decisions
4. Get information from reliable sources before making a decision
5. Write down your options, advantages and disadvantages, in a clear and specific way
6. Consider alternative solutions
7. Trust your intuition, which remains an excellent personal guide
8. Ask for the opinion of your peers or people with experience or expertise
In any case, life changes and with it, so do circumstances. A decision that seems right today may need to be reconsidered tomorrow. Learn to be flexible and adjust your choices based on new information or changing circumstances.
