If you have ever thought about it, you should notice that your decisions are the only thing you are truly responsible for in your life. Everything you say or do is a result of your choice. How to learn to make better decisions?
To improve the quality of your decisions, consider the impact of your emotions, visions, and needs in the decision-making process.
3 Strategies for Making Better Decisions
1. Control your emotions
Decision-making is an emotional event. Emotions cover you and influence your ability to make good decisions. Numerous studies show that we make decisions emotionally, not rationally. According to this, the decision-making process is reduced to the part of the brain called the amygdala.
The amygdala receives information before it gets to the conscious part of your brain. Its purpose is to help us to respond quickly to the situation.
This is very good if you are face to face with a hungry tiger but not so good if you have to decide which job to choose or are in any other situation that could change your life.
Based on this theory, it also makes sense to suggest that emotions often lead us to the wrong decisions. Consequently, control of emotions and a change in your way of thinking can help you make better decisions.
To achieve this, you have to take care of your emotional state. Try these ideas:
- When you have to make a decision, create a mental image of a blank sheet. Your blank sheet should not be occupied with unnecessary noise or old ideas and assumptions. Try not to let other thoughts and feelings prevent the visualization of this image. This blank sheet is your true starting point for making right and high-quality decisions.
- Pay attention to the physical aspects. Lower your voice, take it easy, and be careful to not make any sudden and hasty movements. Stay calm in order to better control your ability to make rational decisions.
- Do not be too rigid or too soft when faced with a difficult decision. Instead, try to visualize the result of your decision. Determine what will be useful, and what may be questionable.
2. Create a vision
Your decisions are also influenced by the way you see the situation. When you see something clearly, you have more chances to make better decisions.
For example, think of the safety belts in your car. It has been proven and there is no doubt that seat belts can significantly increase your chances of survival in a car accident. So why do so many people ignore this? Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that they can not imagine the possible consequences of their decision.
If someone you know refuses to put on a seat belt, ask him or her to imagine what will happen when a car crashes into a tree at a speed of 100 km/h.
This technique is more effective than the statistics we hear every day. Having imagined the tragic result of a car accident, many people begin to understand the importance of making the right decision.
3. Manage your needs
Buying a new car is a difficult decision. Often, when people are involved in the process of buying a car, they are going through the emotional aspects of car ownership. They convince themselves that they need a better audio system or a leather interior. However, this is what they want, not what they need.
When you think you need something, you are in great danger of making a bad decision. Instead, replace your needs with confidence. If you are not feeling confident, take a step back and ask yourself, what a confident person would do in this situation.
Good decisions are the result of a good choice. You can not control other people’s choices, but you have complete control over your own choices and decisions. Use this knowledge as a source of opportunity and freedom.
Better decisions will undoubtedly lead you to greater happiness and success.
