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Decision Making Steps When You Hit The Crossroads

Decision Making Steps When You Hit The Crossroads

Life is a journey which includes decision making steps that you need to make as you travel through the roads of life. You will face all kinds of roads; long and short; smooth and rocky; straight and crooked. Some roads will lead to fame and fortune while others could lead to isolation and poverty. Some to happiness and others to sadness; some to victory and others jubilation.

The roads we take also have corners, detours, dead ends, one-ways and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that the road you choose is the right one? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are?

Accept That There Are No Guarantees

First point to accept is that there is no guarantee of the outcome as you do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Choosing to do the right thing all the time may not always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness.

There are just too many possible outcomes, which you really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, how you would act and respond to different situations.

You Only Know Decisions Were Wrong After The Fact

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Probably not. Why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong. There is no turning back. So, it is best to now decide what to do next.

Make A Decision And Take The Risk

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. Otherwise, you remain at the same spot and make no progress. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure. It could lead to alternative roads that could provide other opportunities. It is all a matter of perspective.

You have the choice between being a lost traveler or an accidental tourist of life. But this does not mean that you make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. It is about having a proper decision making framework. Here are decision making steps that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:

1. Get As Much Information As Possible On The Situation

You will be more confident about the decisions you make when you have more information. Ask yourself the typical 5 W's 1 H:
- what
- who
- when
- where, and
- why
- how

What is the situation? What are the ways of handling it? Who are the people involved? Who can help? Who has more information on this? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? How did it happen? How can it be resolved? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation.

It is important to go through this thinking process and better still to write them down. Quite often, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation. When you make informed decisions, you reduce the risk that you are taking.

2. Identify And Create Options

What are your options given the situation? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? Then just create your own. Put your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not judge and shoot anything down. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

3. Weigh The Pros And Cons Of Every Option

Assess each option by looking at their advantages and disadvantages. This gives you a greater insight into the consequences of the options.

4. Make The Decision And Go For It

Now that you have assessed your options, make the decision. Trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight. So make the best possible decision based on your analysis and the circumstances.

Once you have made the decision, be ready to accept its consequences. It could be good or bad. It could end a great success or an utter failure. If it succeeds, celebrate. If it fails, investigate and learn why it failed and use it to take your next step.

The important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. You have methodically gone through your decision making steps. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from your decision making framework and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

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