6 Steps to Making Tough Decisions Easier

Decision making is a part life.

There are choices to be made in our personal, professional, and spiritual lives.

Some decisions don’t require a lot of thought or effort on your part as they are the basic ones – what to eat, what to wear, what time to leave, which route to take, etc.

Although, sometimes even the smallest of decisions can create a certain amount of stress or anxiety, but generally it’s minimal compared to the tough decisions you might find yourself having to make.

For instance, you may have the difficult choice to make considering staying or leaving your job or relationship.

Maybe you have to make arrangements regarding someone else because they aren’t in a position to do so, or you are concerned about how others will be affected by the choices you make.

You might be thinking about starting over or selling your home, or you are having to cut back, lay off, or let go of an employee, or you may be faced with hard choices to make around your finances or business.

These, and so many more scenarios can be really tough decisions to make as they impact your future, your well-being, or the well-being of others. Not easy.

There is no doubt that some decisions are tough ones to make and will take great consideration.

There are often varying circumstances and people to take into account which can make your decisions that much harder and emotional.

So how do you make tough and/or life altering decisions easier knowing full well they are going to affect you, your life, or other people?

When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. Roy E. Disney

1. Know your principles. Be crystal clear as to what they are and why they are important to you. Once you understand what your ideals are, then you can begin to look at your options from a valued space.

2. What are the pros and cons. When you write down the pros and cons of the decision you have to make, it takes you out of over-thinking. You then can view and review your options more effectively; also, one side will usually outweigh the other and when you write it down you can see this better than just in your mind.

3. Consult with another. When you confer with someone who has more knowledge or expertise in the area of question, then you can often see things from a different perspective, or gain some knowledge or insights you hadn’t thought of, or by listening to them the answer becomes clear as to what you need to do.

You can ask God (what you believe this to be), your partner, a friend, family member, or a mentor or coach, for some guidance.

Perhaps you will seek advise from a doctor, health care practitioner, therapist, or lawyer. Maybe from your boss, a team of experts, a financial adviser, a business consultant, or a bank manager, etc.

There are many people you can discuss your choices with.

​4. Consider your options. Once you know your values, have weighed the pros and cons, and consulted with another, you can now reflect upon your choices from a more true and informed space.

​5. Take your time. Take some time to make certain that you are coming from a centered place rather than an emotional one. Also review everything you have learned about yourself and from others. Do something relaxing and listen to your intuition. Trust the choice you are about to make has been made from the highest space and is for the highest good.

6. Make the decision. Know that the choice(s) you are about to make may not be easy and it may not be pleasing to everyone, but ultimately the choice is yours. If your decision has been carefully thought through with as much care and consideration as possible, if you are as clear as you can be, and it’s based upon your values and what you feel is best, then it’s time to take the next step and put it into action as difficult as that may be.

Whew… now that you made your choice it can go either way.

You might feel like it’s the best decision you ever made and wonder why you didn’t make it sooner. In fact, things are working out very well, and perhaps even better than you anticipated.

Or, things might feel uncomfortable or different for awhile, you might second guess whether it was the right decision, or there may be people that are unhappy with the option you chose and aren’t very receptive to say the least.

What’s vital is you truly feel you made the best choice possible at the time.

You didn’t make a rash or hasty decision; you assessed, evaluated, consulted, and most importantly, upheld your values while making a tough decision, and you did so with great care and consideration.

Remember, some decisions are not easy, but you can make them easier when you know your values.

Use these insights so this technique can assist you making tough decisions with the least amount of stress, anxiety and doubt.