Why you need to Decide

I cannot tell you how many people I've spoken to who, because of the 'unprecedented times' that we find ourselves in are struggling to decide.

On what to eat. What time to go to the shops to avoid the queues. On how to best meet the needs of their children and their work commitments...

On anything.

There seems to be a paralysis around decision making as the world become's gripped by fear, and so in today's very quick #SaturdayServing, I'm going to outline 3 reasons why in whatever situation you are in, you need to decide.

But before we talk about the 'why' - walk with me, and let's take a closer look at WHAT decision actually means and the implications of making a decision.

The Latin...

I'm a geek and make no apologies for it. I wear my Geek T-shirt with pride and I love the things I love... one of which is words.

I was fortunate enough to study Latin at school (and while it's often referred to as obsessing over dead white men, it's by far the most valuable thing I studied, and the thing that I use most often even now) - and it's great as someone who speaks and studies English to get a better understanding of the words as they were intended, than how we mean them in English.

The word 'Decide' comes from the Latin word 'Decidere' which literally means 'to cut off' - so it's intended to mean a cutting off from all the other options and the pursuit of the one chosen.

But what really struck me, was the second part of the word ... -cide. As it has the same root word as other significant words we use in our language today - namely 'genocide', 'suicide', 'fratricide'. These words are significant as we understand their gravitas in our language as they allude to death.

But a decision SHOULD signify the same finality. Once you have settled on something, it should mean the other things are out of the equation, as if that's not the case - it's not really a decision... We keep deciding to hedge our bets - and keep everything open and on the table, and that is definitely part of what's causing the problem.

So now we understand what we are supposed to mean when we say 'decide' - here are 3 great reasons to decide today.

Diversification is worst at that point

We're always obsessed with diversification, hedging our bets and keeping our options open. It seems like the smart choice. And yet - that goes against what actually creates success. As they say that "diversification protects wealth, but it's focus that actually creates it"

By making a decision where to focus, you have the benefit of the concentration of your compounding and it enables you to commit and go 'all in' on whatever choice you have made.

Diversification at the start - is the worse thing that you can do for any of those options as none of them are really committed to...

And a little commitment, and no commitment are effectively the same thing. It's always better to have full commitment and a small action, than partial commitment and massive actions - they will not last.

You can't really get started until a decision is made

When you haven't quite decided, you are still looking for an exit. The next best thing. The shiny object... and this robs you and everyone around you.

Imagine a long motorway journey...

You have a long way to go - and you know it - so you put your foot down and really focus on the road ahead. But as you are coming up for your exit, especially on a road you are unfamiliar with - something completely different happens. You slow down, you take your eyes off the road ahead and instead start crawling and craning your neck looking for the exit...

I'm sure you get the analogy - when you don't decide, you are crawling and looking rather than focused on what's ahead, and that wastes valuable time and resources.

You can do a hell of a lot of movement without decision, but it'll literally be like riding on a roundabout and never coming off. Lots of actions and going nowhere.

When it's decision and decide which road to put your foot down on that actually changes your life.

Which leads us nicely into the final reason why you need to decide

Not deciding is also a decision, and you are not going to want that outcome

You need to decide - because a decision is going to happen

And it's going to affect you, you may as well be in control of it.

Not making a decision is also a decision - and that crap storm is one that you will live the consequences of in full.

The train of life will keep moving - you can get on the train, or get off, but it will keep going, so if you want it - you need to get on board with it.

Decision making is a really powerful skill, but has been somewhat eroded by the current crisis - but improving the decision making muscle is one of the really powerful outcomes of my upcoming Think Tank offering - as we will be creating a powerful practice of self-reflection and taking decisions based on the information we have received.

Make a decision your future self will thank you for and PM to ask for more details on the project.

Decisions rule... they help you get momentum

They keep you focused

They get better with practice - so be sure to give yourself the chance to improve that practice today.