Making Important Decisions in your life or career

Improve decision-making

Making important decisions can be difficult when you know that the outcome could change your life and your family, your future and ultimately, your happiness.

It is important to reflect and think about how your decisions will affect your family and your future income and lifestyle. Take a look at these questions below to find some answers for yourself. But don’t just use your head and make logical answers, talk to your partner about the issues involved, use and lean into your gut feelings and use your heart. Ask your heart to tell you the truth and your answers will come.

1. If you could have your goal right now, would you take it? If client hesitates, ask why? What is holding them back?
2. If you had all the time in the world to do what you needed and wanted to do, what would you do? Would you take that opportunity?
3. What would you rather have instead of your goal? (what do you really want?)
4. If you were to make this decision now, how would it affect you in one month’s time, in one year’s time, and in 10 year’s time – look forwards!
5. How would your decision affect your partner and family:
   • Will they see less of you or more of you? 
   • Can you work from home, or would you need to travel a lot?
   • OR would you need to move out of district and move house?
   • What are the pros and cons of this?
   • Would raising the children and household matters be left to one partner? How would they feel about this?
   • What else could be available to you?
6. What would be the quickest and best way for you to achieve your goal? Is this obtainable? In what timeframe?
7. If you could speak to the wisest person you know (whether alive or not right now), who would that be, and what would you ask them? (change of outlook and perspective).· What would they would share with you?· Why do you think they would tell you this?· Why would they care about your plans or goals?· What insights did you gain?
8. If your son or daughter wanted to obtain the same goal you are looking too – what would you tell them? What advice would you give them? (different perspective)
9. How will you handle any bumps in the road or barriers to you reaching your goals? What will you do when things get difficult, WILL you procrastinate, ask people you know, go into panic, think rationally, or pray someone else makes the decision instead of you – OR will you find a way to overcome it or would you stay where you are and not move forwards?

10. Can you name someone you know, who has mastered the goal you want to achieve?

Can you reach out to them (if you know them) and ask if you can take them out and have a conversation with them, over coffee or lunch – ask them these questions:

• How did they accomplish their goals?
• Is this their full-time occupation?
• How is it for them now? Is it working for them & fulfilling for them?
• (Without prying into their earnings) does the income from their current position cover all their costs and overheads? Does it provide for a good standard of living now for them and their family, and do they think it will continue to do so in the future?
• What are the pros of cons of their goal / position / business?
• What have they learn from their experiences in this position? (tips, advice etc)

Because you can learn some valuable lessons from them too. Ask them what they were able to accomplish and what not work well?

• Also reach out to those who DID NOT succeed – because they found difficult?
• Did this position cover all their costs and overheads?
• What are the pros and cons of the business?
• What did they learn from their experiences in this business/role? (tips, advice etc).

If you CAN’T have this conversation with anybody, then do some research – research people you know who HAVE accomplished what you want too, and find out their life story and how they did what they did. Look at both the wins and the pitfalls.

Once you have all the above information from people who have been there, and done that, it will give you an INSIDE VIEW of what it is really like. Then you can decide with prior knowledge and insight if you really want to go ahead.

11. Are you willing to make an action plan, with various steps (and stick with it) to achieve this goal? Are you willing to move into setting well-formed outcomes and SMARTer goals?

12. Well-Formed Outcomes

6 steps to well-formed outcomes:

1. Decide what you REALLY want in life.
2. State it in positive terms – remember people are more likely to tell you what they don’t want and not what they do want.
3. Express it in sensory terms – use modalities and sub-modalities to describe it in as much detail as possible.
4. Choose something you can fulfil – aiming to run a marathon next week when you have never run more than 100 yards is unlikely.
5. Evaluate the effects of achieving – know what it feels like to succeed.
6. Choose something worthwhile.

The SMARTer Model

S = Specific – get as detailed as you can

M = Measurable – you must be able to track progress

A = Achievable – give yourself a chance at success R = Realistic – Is it something that works for you?

T = Time-bound – when are you going to achieve?

E = Ecological – it must fit with every part of you.

R = Resource Generating – discover your resourcefulness!

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