What causes us to freeze when we are faced with a high impact decision? Why is it that we often don’t know which way to turn? Being able to use your inner knowledge as a compass can guide you toward making quality decisions about your professional and personal life.
Because these decisions can create substantial positive (or negative) changes in our lives, we often hesitate before making them. However, once you understand yourself and the direction you want for your life, decision making becomes much easier.
This comes from wisdom. Keep in mind; wisdom and knowledge are often two different things. Wisdom tells us that once our decisions are not solely focused on the desired outcome, we begin to realize that there is not only one way of solving our problems. I am a big believer of letting my heart guide me. This is the best compass that human beings have, yet it is one that is so protected, humble and seldom manifests itself. Most adults lose the privilege of listening to their inner voice. Once social norms, education, guilt and other feelings manifest in our logic they come into direct conflict with our heart.
By placing a heavy emphasis on who you are and what your long-term goals consist of, you can transform your personal and professional life completely. Here’s just one example.
Joanna, is a successful businesswoman who was working hard to get a promotion. She was spending hours at work, neglecting her family and particularly herself. When the time came to get that promotion, she was speechless and disappointed to learn that a new person - an outsider - got the position that she was working so hard for the past two years. Needless to say she was devastated. She could not hide her disappointment and angry feelings. Worst of all, her motivation fell through the floor. The situation at home did not get any better. She became angry with her family and almost ruined her marriage.
Joanna was lucky to realize that she needed to change something in herself before losing everything that she worked so hard for the past twenty years. She started reflecting on the way she was living her life, writing down her typical days and fears, and then at the end of the week answering the following questions:
- Did my activity this past week make a difference in someone’s life? Can I expect some results in the near future? How many people are going to benefit from this? Will the project that I am working on matter from a year now?
- How many days did I laugh? Who were the people that made me feel good? What have I done to thank them? Does my happiness rely simply on getting from other people? What did I give to the community this week?
- How many times this week did I take time for myself? When did I treat myself? What things can someone else in my life do? How effective was I in delegating work personally and professionally?
Once she started doing these things, and learned to say no to tasks that were not her direct responsibility, amazingly she started seeing results in her emotional well being. She became a calmer person and she was able to see the things that really mattered to her. She started being more attentive with people, caring and most importantly patient.
Her employees loved her new transformation. Without even doing any extra work she was able to transform her team into a team of people who fought for a common cause. They had a sense of belonging and cared about working together.
Joanna’s compass became the questions, “will this matter to anyone a year from now?” “Does this new project really matter for our organization’s success?” “Will its stakeholders benefit from this?” She used her inner knowledge to elevate her team members. In return, they were able to give their best at work and at the same time enjoy their personal lives.
We all know that making decisions is one of the most difficult tasks. Following these simple strategies I hope you will find it easier to make decisions. Just remember to take time to learn about yourself. Relax and think of how your decision will impact not only you but also your direct environment. We are all so interrelated; we can simply not ignore this. The decisions you make impact many others as well. Making quality decisions can change your life!
Carole is President of Progressive Leadership offering corporate and executive coaching & consulting in Knowledge Management and Leadership & Organizational Development.
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