Overcoming Indecision

by Matthew Best

What do we charge for this service? Who's going to implement? Which company should
we partner with? Who has the right information? What should we eat for lunch? We are presented with question and decisions like these all day long. We make decision after decision after decision. Most of the time we don't even think about these decisions or stress over making decisions. But there are those times when we feel we are in the grip of indecision.

We just don't know what to do. I had an opportunity to speak before a chapter of the American Business Women Association this past week and the topic was indecision. I shared with them a simple three step process on overcoming indecision. I call it the stop, drop, and roll method. Of course this is the famous saying taught to children about dealing with fire. I hope you'll see the connection to decision making.

Step 1 - Stop. When you are in the midst of being indecisive the first thing you need to do is recognize that you are having trouble making a decision and just stop. Stop all the chatter in your mind. Remove yourself from the situation. Stressing over indecision consumes a lot of energy. Stop.

Step 2 - Drop. Drop the emotional baggage. As we start to think about all the things we can do, we become emotionally involved in many decision. Remember, the mind is a tool
for your use in making a decision. It's a rational tool. For those times when you can't just "go with your gut" you need to drop the emotional attachment the options and to your fears.

Step 3 - Roll. Use your imagination with this one. My kids love to roll down hills, just like most kids I know. It's next to impossible to roll down the hill though if there are obstacles in the way. When it comes to decision making, you have to identify all the obstacles that are preventing you from rolling down the hill. In most cases, you'll probably find that a good portion of your obstacles are due to a lack of information or criteria. Without important information or the criteria, how can you make an appropriate decision. Identify the information or criteria you need, find it and then roll right into making a decision. Peter Drucker once said something like this - Decisions are easy when we have all the information.

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