Use Facts When Making Decisions 

We encourage you not to make decisions based on what people think. The potential outcome of your choices should be based on what you know to be true. Making decisions based on factual information creates space for you to make a healthy and realistic decision.

Remove Yourself From The Equation

When making a hard choice, it’s important to have a birds-eye view of the matter. A bird’s-eye perspective will give you a chance to see the situation outside of your shoes. Often when we take ourselves out of the equation we can see the full scope of a decision and its vantage points. This tool is great when others will be affected by the decision you make. Placing yourself in their shoes will allow you to make a fair decision.

Don’t Compromise Your Integrity

Compromising your boundaries for others when making a decision can be detrimental to you. Don’t give up your boundaries to make others happy, or to satisfy their intentions, if you don’t agree with them. Your moral compass should always remain true to who you are and what you believe to be right or wrong. Right and wrong look different for everyone, but anything that involves a crime, hurting others, or has ill intentions should never be a choice. If you know that you won’t be able to look at yourself in the mirror in the years to come and feel good about the choice you made, that is a sign that you probably should choose differently. 

Use Emotional Intelligence

Having and applying a certain level of emotional intelligence to your decision making process will help you avoid making risky decisions. Emotionally intelligent people have an understanding of their emotions and the importance they play when making decisions.  A good decision-maker knows that emotionally charged responses don’t yield positive end results. Emotionally charged responses often end with feelings of regret when the emotional state of the person settles. We have to be self aware and give ourselves time to resolve our emotions before we make any important decisions.  

If you want to learn more about emotional intelligence check out this episode regarding Emotional Intelligence: https://www.buzzsprout.com/898741/2916661

Reality Factors

Reality factors help us make decisions because we can assess what is real and actually happening or has happened as opposed to what we wish, heard or thought happened. Regardless of how we feel, reality is reality and it cannot be altered. For example, many people believe that covid-19 is a hoax, but the reality is people have died from it and continue to in real-time. So when you decide to go outside without a mask and no hand sanitizer you are leaving yourself open to the possibility of catching covid.  An opinion doesn’t negate the reality of a situation. So make your decisions based on reality and not what you hope or wish to be true.  

We hope that this list is helpful, remember, we are always one decision from a totally different life, so choose wisely.