How to Make Smart, Snappy Decisions

One of the great privileges we have as humans is our ability to choose – the free will to decide this or that in any given moment. Yet the sad reality is, for the most part, we kinda suck at making decisions. 

To be clear, I’m not suggesting we suck at getting out of bed in the morning; or choosing a salad over sandwich at the lunch bar; or what colour lipstick to put on. Most of our mundane, daily decisions are made on autopilot (thankfully). What I’m referring to here are the really important decisions, the type of decisions that could truly elevate your life or take things in a whole new direction….. if we could only decide. 

Why is this? Why are we such poor decision makers?

I have a theory.

I recently re-read Napoleon Hill’s great classic, Think and Grow Rich. In the final chapter he talks about the “Six Ghosts of Fear” and how indecision is at the root of all fear.

“Indecision is the seedling of fear! Remember this, as you read. Indecision crystallizes into doubt, the two blend and become fear!”

There is great wisdom within these three sentences. However as with most things in life, sometimes it requires a pause and a moment of reflection before the ball drops.

Here it is: indecision leads to doubt, and doubt leads to fear 

Simple enough. But it doesn’t stop there. The loop is continuous and never-ending: indecision - doubt - fear - indecision - doubt - fear - indecision - doubt - fear….  

A natural question is, “So where does the indecision come from?” 

I believe we’re indecisive for two reasons. Number one we’re not in the habit of making quick, bold decisions. Unlike our hunter-gatherer ancestors who had to make bold decisions on a daily basis just to stay alive. A lot of decisions back then truly were life or death. In fact, I’d go so far as to say, as a species we’ve forgotten what a real decision is. Number two, we’re blessed (some might say, cursed) with having too many options. 

Let’s start with the first reason and get clear on what a decision is. Interestingly, the Latin of the word decision literally means “to cut off.” Making a decision therefore, true to the definition, is “cutting off” all choices and making a commitment to a single course of action. Or as Tony Robbins likes to say, “If you want to take the island, you need to burn the boats” – no turning back, only one option, forge ahead.   

There’s real power in this. If you look at your own life, no doubt there are instances where you had to make a courageous decision and never turn back – quitting a job, getting a divorce, moving across country, giving up drugs, whatever it was. However, these types of decision are not our modus operandi and are typically precipitated by a period of immense pain. That is to say, we hit a threshold and only then did we seek a "way out” of our pain.  

Can we learn to make bold decisions that are proactive, instead of reactive?  

The next step in the indecision loop is doubt. Without the practice and discipline of making snap decisions, we doubt our ability to make good decisions and therefore hesitate, contemplating our options back and forth, up and down, round and round. Doubt quickly slips into worry with its close cousin fear. When we’re worried or fearful, we start to imagine worst case scenarios. This in turn leads to more indecision, more worry… the cycle continues. 

I would like to suggest a strategy for breaking out of the insidious cycle. 

But first, let's quickly look at the second cause of indecision – too many options. Yes, it’s a glorious life we have nowadays with a gazillion options at our fingertips. If you live in the western world, you can literally do anything you want. It’s become a bit of a cliché, but the truth still stands. With the right mix of determination and persistence you really can have it all. But there within lies a paradox. With so many options we become befuddled and avoid making a decision. We’ve got FOMO brain, worried that if we commit to one thing (job, partner, field of study, etc) we’ll miss out on all the other grand opportunities. 

Here’s the punchline: yes, you will. 

But then you sit back and think, what’s the alternative? 

Five years from now, you will arrive. Question is, where? And who will you have become? Will you have become a better decision maker? Or will you still be swirling around in a pool of confusion, fighting the demons of procrastination, buried inside a mountain of regret?  

DE*CISIONS = DESTINY 

Truth is, I have struggled with making snappy decisions most of my adult life. Far too often I stood at the crossroads of an important decision and pondered "left or right?" meanwhile months or even years slipped by.

If we want to live a rich life, it's paramount we master the art of quick, bold decision making.

Of course it ain't easy, but it is possible. One practice that I have found helpful is re-wiring my brain through constant repetition of positive and powerful incantations. In the process, I am “priming” my mind to make quick decisions. You can create your own, but here are two questions I use – “Why do I always know what to do? Why do I make bold decisions, quickly?”         

By using questions, as opposed to affirmative statements, you bypass the conscious mind’s natural tendency to refute everything you say. For example, if you say “I’m a quick decision maker” your monkey mind will typically respond with, “No, you’re not.” This is based on long-term conditioning and memory. An easy way to override the system, and trick the foolish monkey, is to pose your incantation as a question with an embedded presupposition.

When you say “Why do I always know what to do?”…. your brain can’t help but come back with a positive response (for instance, “Cause you’re awesome”). 

Another way to develop your decision-making muscle is to start small and practice. Pick a minor issue that you tend to struggle with. Say for example, going out with friends. Part of you wants to go; part of you doesn’t. But you need to make a decision. Just give yourself three seconds. Count back from three (3…2…1) then bam, immediately make a decision based on your gut feeling. Then stick to it no matter what! By doing this on a regular basis, you’ll soon develop confidence in your ability to make quick decisions. More importantly you will have broken free from the trap of the indecision loop (indecision - doubt - fear…).

From there, take your confidence and apply it bigger, more important decisions.

All the while keeping in mind the true meaning of decision – to “cut off” all other choices and never look back. 

“When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.” -Paulo Coelho 

...........................

Mark Western - Mind Coach & Adventure Fundraiser (www.LifeWorks.hk)