Can’t Make a Decision: Look at Your Decision Tree: Decision Questions
One of the things I’ve been teaching has been how to break decisions into their most minor parts. A few years ago, I used the system, and it worked. I moved from Canberra to Brisbane, and it was an example of how simple gig decisions can be.
Make a Decision
The first thing I did was to decide that I would move. So I asked myself, “Will I move?”. It was a yes/no answer, and the response was obviously YES. The next question was “Where to?” this was easy, too, SE Qld.
Decision Questions
So, here you are with a significant decision. It could be anything.
“Shall I go for that new job?”
“Will I continue to work where I’m currently working?”
“Shall we move house?”
“Would it be right for me to move in with my boy/girlfriend?”
“Shall I leave my partner/husband/wife? Or, “Shall I stay with my partner/husband/wife?
Lowest Common Denominator
Each of the decisions above has the lowest common denominator. It’s easy to find it because you have to be committed to asking the relevant question of yourself. My lowest common denominator was “Will I move?” Yours will be something equally as simple. Let the simplicity of the question flow to you.
It could be days or weeks before you ask yourself the following decision-making question, which becomes a branch of your decision tree. My next question was, “When?”. I didn’t fret over this. It wasn’t answered for several months because some things needed to happen.
Two Things Need to Happen
Firstly, I needed to convince myself that the first question was viable. I did this by mentioning my intention to myself in self-speak and to friends and family. Suddenly, this sealed the decision. I didn’t hurry it; I just let it happen. By mentioning my intention to others meant, I used phrases like “When we’re living in Queensland”, “We won’t be cold like this in Queensland”, and “When we move….” etc.
Secondly, I needed to subconsciously prepare myself for adverse outcomes from those close to me. This was the most challenging aspect of the whole process. Family and friends did not like the sound of my decision. They wanted to protect me by keeping the status quo and trying to persuade me that moving was a bad idea. This negativeness plays games with our minds; if we’re not careful, we can quickly lose sight of our original intention and decision.
The “When” Branch of Your Decision Tree
For me, my “When?” question answered itself. It depended on several things, including travel plans and removalists. They all sorted themselves out with next to no stress. It was amazing.
Next Where
Notice I still hadn’t worked out “Where?” specifically yet. This, too, resolved itself quickly and came down to what felt right then.
You can see from my experience that I took my time in the decision-making process. Of course, I got stressed occasionally, but I always kept an eye on the main game. The game was my original decision to move to SE QLD.
There you have it. A decision-making system that becomes your decision-making tree. I’ve given you a real-world example of how to make it work. You can use this system for any decision you need to make.
Lastly, remember you FEEL your decisions, and once you have made your decision send it to your brain/mind to implement it creatively.
Andrew
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