In so many of my sessions with my coaching clients, we inevitably talk about a decision that is bugging them – or more to the point, what's bugging them is the feeling of being unable to make a decision!
What the decision is about is of course relevant, but there's actually often so much more to it that's worth exploring.
decision-making traps
To start with, I think humans become stuck on decision-making because we get so concerned about making 'the "right" decision'. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately!) we can't foresee the future, no matter how much we try to predict, pre-empt and prepare.
In which case, perhaps there aren't 'right' or 'wrong' decisions, just 'a' decision - one that can feel as right as possible with what we know and want now.
We think that our decision being a good or the right one will lead to a favourable outcome, and a bad / wrong decision will lead to an unfavourable outcome. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always play out that way – here’s an example that might feel relatable and even one you’ve made in the past 6 months or so: you’re considering fixing your energy or mortgage rate, given all the information out there you’ve read, and applied to your situation and context. You go for it. Within a month or two, the situation alters, or the government intervenes, and a better- priced product is available now than the one you have. But your less favourable outcome was not due to poor decision-making.
We can also get hung up on what criteria to make the decision. Is it really criteria that matters to you, and your values? Are you overcomplicating the decision with too many factors that don't really matter as much as others, if at all? It might just be worth checking in on that.
The last point I'll make here on decisions, is about what is known and what is assumed about the matter upon which the decision is to be made. Without meaning to, we can interpret our assumptions as knowns when trying to reach a decision, maybe to confirm our bias, avoid risk or possible disappointment, protect ourselves from failure or something new, etc. If you are genuinely stuck, check if there are assumptions you can convert into knowns to aid your decision-making.
So, I'd love to know, are you sitting on a decision? I hope the above can be useful in helping you find clarity, but if you’d like a focused 1-hour session to help you get to grips with a decision and move forward, please do book in for one of my breakthrough sessions via the button at the top of the page and let's get you moving out of that stalemate position!
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