How to make a difficult decision

Why decisions can be so difficult ?

• the stakes for you are particularly high,
• two or more options weigh the same in your mind,
• this decision brings back unhelpful memories or fears.

Now, what to do :-

1. Identify the parts of yourself that want different things

Try writing down what each part of you wants and seeing if you can identify a

solution that optimize the joint aspiration of your different inner selves. The

simple act of recognizing your own competing desires will help you.

2. Create psychological distance from the decision

* by letting go of your preferred option momentarily, to consider all decisions

objectively,

* by imagining that you are advising a friend making the same decision,

* by imagining reflecting from your deathbed on the same decision, decades l

latter.

3. Think outside the box

Adopt a childlike mindset and train yourself to recapture your creative

confidence and imagine the hidden creative option available to you.

4. List out your objectives

cross-check how many of them would be satisfied by each decision.

5. Use a weighting system to compare multiple options

* First, what are the objectives behind your decision?

* Next, what weight (from?0-100 per?cent) would you assign to each objective:

ie, how important is this objective to you?

* Now, turning to each option available to you, what mark (between 1 and 10)

would you give it to fulfil the various objectives?

* Then add up and compare the options.?

6. Listen to your emotions

You can access your deep inner needs of your nature by close your eyes

when thinking about each option and try to identify the color that you see

(with your eyes still closed). If, for example, one option evoke a dark-gray

color where as another one brings about a more positive, bright-orange-tint

, this could be sign of the unconscious knocking at the door.

7. Use micro-decisions to overcome inertia

After selecting best option, you need to act upon it, but it can be hard to get

started. One way out of such a dilemma is to break down your big decision

into a series of micro-decisions.