Decision making is a HUGE part of being an entrepreneur. We've heard the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions a day, but I wonder how many more we make because of running a business. Some of the easy ones take less than a minute, whereas the harder ones could literally take years! How much energy are you spending trying to make the right decision before you feel ready to move forward? Where do you get stuck? How do you make faster decisions?
What's the right answer?
Trust
First, let's touch on self-trust. This is a hard question...do you trust yourself to make good decisions? Notice how there was no mention of the "right" decision or "best" decision.
Do you trust yourself to make good decisions? Notice how there was no mention of the "right" decision or "best" decision.
These 2 words place a lot of weight on us to get things perfect. We have to realize that there isn't always a "right" answer or a "best case scenario" when it comes to anything with choice, preference, or human emotion.
Trust is something we build through practice. Making small decisions without much consequence will give you the practice you need to make bigger decisions. Confidence Seeing how you handle yourself, no matter the outcome, will build your confidence. You've handled every single decision you've ever made & you're still here. Congratulations! It may not be exactly where you wanted yet, but you're still waking up, reading this post, and therefore still moving forward.
Each time you overcome something hard, do as the gamers do and say, "DING!" as you level up.
If you've handled ALL those decisions and continue to move forward, do you believe you'll do your best to handle the next set of challenges too? Of course you will. You're built to overcome.
You're whole & complete just as you are. You "level up" & get "system & software updates" for each experience you go through. The harder the challenge, the more experience gained! Each time you overcome something hard, do as the gamers do and say, "DING!" as you level up. 5 Ways to Make Decisions & Move Forward NOW
Mel Robbin's 5 Second Rule Your instincts are pretty powerful but we're still being taught to ignore our gut and go with the data. When the desire to act comes to your mind, the plan is to make a decision before your ego has a chance to have a say. How does it work? - You're presented with a choice or an idea. Deep down, you know what you value and therefore want to act on those values. Immediately you start counting backwards from 5. By the time you reach 0, you make your decision. This all happens before you have time to have second thoughts or make excuses. Example: You wake up & think about going for a walk. Before you automatically hit the snooze button again, you count backwards...5...4...3...2...1...0. You decide to get up so you shut off your alarm and immediately get dressed to go for a walk.
Biggest Baby Step RIGHT NOW We can feel stuck very quickly and easily. The best way to get unstuck is to take action! With so many decisions made per day, how do we know if we're moving forward or just staying busy? We must take steps outside our comfort zone, and keep going. Just keep taking those daily baby steps. How does it work? - A big goal is made up of a bunch of baby steps that require daily action. When you're feeling stuck, ask yourself each and every time "What is the biggest baby step I can take RIGHT NOW?" Do this action in the next 5 minutes or ASAP. You can do this multiple times a day. Example: You are working on an important project but find yourself procrastinating. You ask yourself "What is the biggest baby step I can do RIGHT NOW?" You determine it's to call the client even though it's end of day for more information or clarity.
1st & 2nd Biggest Steps Our bigger & loftier goals can require us to go WAY outside our comfort zone. The daily baby steps are moving us closer but there are big things that need to get done. Too much and we risk overwhelming ourself, but not enough and we risk not getting it done. How does it work? - Big and usually very uncomfortable efforts are needed to reach our dreams & biggest desires. These efforts are not everyday tasks, but milestone achievements. They take a lot of energy or effort, and some planning to accomplish. These biggest efforts are not sustainable to maintain regularly & must be broken down. Think of the biggest possible effort you need to do & break it down to 2 parts. Example: That important application is due today. You've done the research, prep work, and notes. You're all ready to sit down & write your heart out for 6 pages. You break it down into 2 smaller parts - data & emotion. You assign all the data to the right sections, then write out sentences that connect it all with emotion. Now that it came out more clearly you get your friend to read it over before hitting send.
Fear & Desire Our 2 main motivators are fear & love. With most decisions being rooted in emotion, we have to take into account what motivates us to choose one option over another. Having clarity on what it is that we're afraid of, and what we want, will help determine if the outcome is worth the consequence. How does it work? - You have a choice to make. Take each option and ask yourself "What am I'm afraid of?"and "What do I love about it?". Is the potential for the desired outcome worth dealing with the fear? Sometimes you'll notice your fear has no footing or your desire is mislead making the decision clear. Example: You can't meet your client face to face but still have to serve them. You're uncomfortable on video but they asked for a Zoom call. You ask yourself "what am I afraid of?" and find out you don't want to look silly & unprofessional sitting at your kitchen table. You ask yourself "what do I love about it?" and determine it's still serving the client face to face & you'll see their home too. You realize it's not ideal for either or you, but it's just like sitting at Starbucks... only cheaper AND you can wear pyjama pants! SOLD!
Best Known Action There isn't always a right answer, a correct way, or a best course of action. We don't always have all the information, know what's going to happen, or how it will impact those around us. For these times, we just have to continue moving forward with what we DO have, even though we don't feel ready. How does it work? - You don't pretend to have all the answers all the time. We can't possibly know everything about everything & everyone. That's fine. What we can do is trust in ourselves that we'll try to make what we think is the best choice in the moment. Then we don't beat ourselves up even if we find new information afterwards because we can always adjust. Example: You're finally creating your website, how exciting! There are so many options out there but you are not loving any of the templates. You decide to go with the one everyone tells you is easy to customize without needing to hire a professional. After it's all done and you love it, you realize that particular platform doesn't have the e-mail marketing integration for the tool you use for your e-mail list. The list CAN be moved.
You Got You
The biggest thing about making decisions is to trust yourself & your ability to handle even the bad decisions. It's NOT the end of the world when the outcome is lacking.
You train 35,000 times a day for this! With well over 320 million workouts I think you've developed enough of yourself to gauge what a good decision is for YOU. Just step into this feeling of confidence in yourself. You got you, no matter what.
None of us can tell you what decisions you should make to best suit you. Only you know that. Next time you feel stuck, try some of these 5 ways to help you make decisions & tell me how it went!
How do YOU make quick decisions?
Share using the hashtag #BEDMASlife.
Learn, Love & keep your Momentum,
Laura Lake <3