Tony Robbins | How to Make a Tough Decision, Part 2

“Remember, you always have options, in any situation. And freedom of choice is one of life’s greatest gifts.”?

In last month’s newsletter I shared the key principles I use whenever I’m making a tough decision in my own life. Read here if you missed it!?

Today I’m going to walk you through my specific process for decision making. It’s 6 steps (I use an easy acronym – OOC-EMR– to remember the steps), but don’t let that overwhelm you. This will enable you to make decisions with clarity and power. ?

These steps have guided me through some of the most important and challenging decisions of my life, including one that I’ll share with you today.??

This process has helped me reap incredible rewards, and most importantly enhanced the quality of my life and the lives of those I love.?

And they can do the same for you, my friend.?

1. Know Your OUTCOMES?

What are the results you're looking for? You can’t make a decision effectively if you don’t know what you want.??

Precision and clarity are crucial here. If you’re too general in describing what you want, you’re never going to get there.?

If I told you, I want more money, that’s my outcome, and you handed me a one-dollar bill I couldn’t complain. I achieved my outcome.?

The same applies to your own outcomes.??

Get crystal clear.?

Remember, clarity is power.?

Next, put your outcomes in order. Because rarely do we want just one thing when it comes to decision making.??

In the instance of finances, sure we want more money, but we also don’t want to burn ourselves into the ground trying to achieve it. We want time with our family and friends. We want to maintain our health.??

Put your outcomes in order of what you value most. This will help when it comes to the next step, options.??

2. OPTIONS?

I have a simple rule when it comes to this step.??

One choice is NO choice.?

Two options create a dilemma – you feel divided.??

When you have three options, you truly have the gift of choice. And I always force myself to come up with at least three options for any decision.??

It’ll not only require you to get creative, but it will dissolve limiting beliefs in an instant.??

And once I get to three, I can usually brainstorm three or four more options.??

3. CONSEQUENCES??

Once we have options, we can examine them fully.??

What’s the upside of this option? What’s the downside???

Just like I mentioned in Part 1, do this in writing. Put your phone down. Get it on paper. Trust me.??

If you do it all in your head, your brain will start looping.??

Make your list and write out all your options along with their potential pros and cons. Nothing will be certain, but don’t let that stop you.?

4. EVALUATE??

Now that you have all your pros and cons in writing it’s time to evaluate.??

When evaluating it’s important to take note of probability and likelihood. What do I mean by that? Examining how likely the pros and cons of your options are to actually happen.?

One option could have a really terrible con, but maybe the likelihood is very slim that it would happen. Another option could have an incredible upside, but it’s a one in a million chance that it actually works out that way.??

Likelihood is key when we evaluate our options.?

And a lot of people can get hung up on a scary con that is more real inside their own head than in the actual world.?

Make sure to know the difference.??

5. MITIGATE?

The last option is to mitigate. How do I keep the choice I want without the downside? How can I eliminate or minimize the cons???

I’ll get to this further in a moment.?

A principle I use here as well as in investing is asymmetric risk reward – how can I take on the least amount of risk for the most amount of upside???

It's where you really start to see choices solidify before you...?

6. RESOLVE?

The final step is once you’ve identified the choice you want to make, follow through.??

Resolve to move forward.?

Now these six steps may seem complex, but let me tell you how I applied it to a decision in my own life years ago, let me bring it to life for you...?

Over two decades ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference with world leaders that included President George H. W. Bush, President Mikhail Gorbachev, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Additionally, I had the opportunity to charter a private plane and fly with President Gorbachev to the conference. President Bush called me himself and asked. It was the opportunity of a lifetime.??

But I had a big infomercial to shoot in Fiji with a business associate I deeply respected on the exact day of the conference. The two were nowhere close geographically.??

The decision seemed impossible.??

1. OUTCOMES?

When I approached step one in my decision-making process and looked at my outcomes, I realized that I wanted to be a part of history, a part of something bigger than myself by attending that conference.??

I wanted to contribute to making an impact on our world for the better.??

I wanted to learn from Gorbachev what ended the cold war, which was the single biggest issue in the world for 80 years. This would all be fulfilled by charting the plane and attending the conference.??

My second outcome was to complete an outstanding informercial in Fiji because, at the time, it was my primary tool for impacting millions of people’s lives...?

It was my main form of income...?

It expanded my identity around the world...?

It’s how I made money while I slept, and it was how I got U.S. presidents as personal clients.??

These two outcomes were very close, but I was able to number them one and two.?

But there was a third outcome. I wanted to be in a relaxed state for both. I didn’t want to put stress on my body trying to fly to one location for a day and then hurrying off to another. I wanted to be present and fully experience each.??

You’re probably thinking, Tony, that’s impossible.??

2. OPTIONS?

The second step was to come up with my options. I started writing them down.?

I can fly in and attend the conference and reschedule the infomercial for another day.?

I can fly to Fiji, film the infomercial, and not attend the conference.??

But I didn’t stop there. That would only be two options and then I would have a dilemma.??

It’s important not to judge your options when writing them down. We are not weighing the pros and cons just yet. Just write and don’t let judgement bog you down in the process...??

It’s a brainstorm.??

The third option was to film in Fiji for just a day and still make the conference. It meant cutting the filming short and not dedicating my whole self to my business associate and partners.??

3. CONSEQUENCES?

Next, I looked at my pros and cons. What was the upside of this particular option? What was the downside???

Lost opportunity, a moment in history missed by not attending the conference...?

Ruin my relationship with my business associate and partners by not filming the infomercial...?

I hurt my body in the process from the back-to-back travel and trying to do both...?

4. EVALUATE?

Nothing seemed to fulfill all my outcomes at once, so I completed the next step: I evaluated.??

I looked at the probability of these options. What was likely to happen??

5. MITIGATE?

And next (this is the gamechanger), I mitigated my downsides.?

I could charter the plane with Gorbachev for the first night of the conference and turn around and fly to Fiji the next day for the infomercial.?

To mitigate the impact of splitting my time, I could tell my business associate the truth. I could tell her about the incredible opportunity to attend the conference with world leaders, and I could spend time with her prior to going to Fiji to help build rapport.?

I could ask her to lunch in LA a few weeks before the infomercial to mitigate the impact of me arriving later.???

And to further mitigate, I could tell my partners I would be in the best state to film, fresh from the conference with the world’s top leaders. I’ll be on fire, and we’ll still get everything in for the filming.??

For my physical wellbeing, I could sleep on the plane. I don’t normally take anything but in this situation, I could take some magnesium to help me sleep.???

And I could utilize the layover in New Zealand by doing a 45-minute run and shower, so I sleep deeply and am fresh when we arrive in Fiji.??

I thought of every way possible I could mitigate the negatives of my decision.?

6. RESOLVE?

And then lastly, I resolve. I move forward. I make my choice and I adhere to it. There’s no more negotiating with myself, no more back and forth.?

The result is that I was able to meet all three of my top outcomes with minimal cons.??

And I was able to live out my dreams to the fullest extent. I sat in the presence of world leaders, gleaning insights from their unique experiences, and I also expanded my impact around the world, helping more and more people change their lives for the better.??

You can too, my friend.??

Is there a situation in your own life where you applied one of these steps to your decision making??

Do you have a tough decision you need to make that you can apply these steps to, today??

Remember, you always have options, in any situation. And freedom of choice is one of life’s greatest gifts.?

Here’s to making the tough decisions, big and small.?

Tony Robbins?

Listen to the Latest Podcast?

Last month you heard about my life’s mission to help end child trafficking and the new film I co-produced that’s currently in theaters, The Sound of Freedom.??

Now you can listen to my talk with my dear friend Tim Ballard, a true hero whose courageous story inspired the film. You’ll also hear about how the film was brought to life through a truly remarkable turn of events.?

Looking for more guidance on decision making??

Want to learn more of my techniques for how I navigate business and life with clarity? Attend my Business Mastery event where I unpack all my strategies for success. You’ll walk away feeling empowered in your business and in your life.??

“While the responsibility of choice can feel weighty, it is our true power to own our destiny and choose our course.”?