Making Decisions

When it comes to making decisions, I’m not always the greatest. I can easily decide what I’m hungry for, that I’m going to drink more water or what I’m going to wear tomorrow but when it comes to bigger things the process is usually accompanied by a small feeling of uneasiness.

The thought of change is hard.  Change is good, yes, but it takes me outside of my comfort zone. I also usually think more about the other people involved than I do myself.

There is nothing wrong with feeling uneasy but obviously, too much can be a problem. Recently, I made a few decisions with minimal anxiety and was pretty proud of myself.  Gotta celebrate the small things, right?

I went back and forth a lot about self-hosting this blog and although it’s been A LOT more involved than I thought I’m glad I chose to do it because it gives me a lot more freedom. Plus, I love how my site looks, haha. 🙂

I also made a decision regarding how I spend my time. Specifically, to continue volunteering or not. It feels like I don’t have as much time as I used to so I re-evaluated all the things I am involved in. Since I can’t give up work (kidding) I thought cutting back my extra activities would give me some more personal time. But, being involved with an organization means that I’ve bonded with others and created connections. This makes it hard to walk away from a commitment even when I feel like I need more personal time.

So what do I think about when deciding? Here are the points I remind myself. Give them a try for yourself and see how it goes.

Making Decisions

• Make yourself priority: Unless the change affects more than just you, your feelings are the most important. Is this something that will affect you? Will it make your life easier or harder? I know that I need to open my schedule so I can’t let the way others will feel change my mind.

• Don’t go through every scenario: If you pro and con it to death you are making it harder on yourself! I know this from experience.

• Remind yourself of the intended outcome: If you find yourself going through the scenarios and get overwhelmed, keep the intended outcome in mind. What is your end goal? What are you hoping to gain or lose when it’s all said and done?

• Take a break from thinking about it: Not all decisions need to be made right away. So take some time and stop thinking about it. Especially if you overthink, like me. Sometimes, mentally walking away will help things become clearer when you come back to it.

• Only share what is necessary: Unfortunately, sometimes sharing too much with those around you can actually make it harder for you to decide. Even when they have good intentions, hearing someone else’s opinion can give you more to think about or change the way you were leaning.

• Trust yourself: Ultimately, the decision is yours. And only you know how much value this situation brings you. So when you feel okay with an answer, go with that.

Even with these points in mind making decisions will always be difficult. And the process is different for each person. The most important thing to remember is that no matter what you decide, life will go on. If you think you are ready to make a decision, you are!

What’s a decision you made recently?

What helps you with change?

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