Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I have 3 younger sisters, and when Sister 2 started to go to school it was a huge adjustment for Sister 3. You see, when Sister 2 was home all the time, she would make all the decisions…what game to play, what to have for lunch, who was going to be Barbie and who was going to be Ken. It was something that Sister 3 got used to so she stopped making decisions. Then Sister 2 started going to school, Sister 3 walked aimlessly around the house not sure what she should be doing. She no longer knew how to make decisions as all of her choices were made for her.

There are many types of decisions; some easy, some hard. We all know someone who has a difficult time making decisions, whether they are simple ones or hard ones. They can hum and ha over the even (in our opinion) little decisions. So how do we become better decision makers? How can we understand the impact that those decisions has on us and others?

When you have a difficult decision ahead of you here are some questions to think about:

How will this decision impact me?

How will this affect the people around me?

What are my future goals and how will this help me achieve those?

What is my gut telling me? Does it make sense?

Will stalling this decision make things better or worse? Why?

What steps do you need to take once a decision has been made?

Disclaimer: Just because you or I think the decision is an easy or little one does not mean that it holds the same value for the person.

                       

Jason Dykstra

Jason is a Conflict Management Specialist who is helping organizations and congregations move from conflict situations to creative solutions. He specializes in relational and communication issues and uses his experience and training in mediation, group facilitation, conflict management coaching, speaking and teaching to aid you and your surroundings to better… MORE >