Let’s not beat around the bush, making a decision can be really hard. This is especially true when the stakes are high. This is also especially true if you struggle with indecision in general. When we are facing a decision, we really want to make the right decision and we are really afraid of making the wrong decision. Afterall, there are negative and positive consequences for any decision that we make. But what most people don’t know is that the key to making the right decision is to make the decision specifically according to your values and more importantly, according to how you prioritize those values.
A value is what you consider from your honest, authentic core to be most important. For so many people, there is an inconsistency between what they value doing and what they are actually doing. The reason this does not work is because satisfaction with our own life can only happen when the things we do and the way we behave in the world towards others and towards ourselves match our values. And at the end of the day, we need to be able to powerfully prioritize our top value.
If you are currently struggling with a decision and would like additional information related to this topic, you would benefit by watching three of my videos. The first is: The Secret to A Happy Life. The Second is: Indecision (Decisions and Indecisiveness). And the third is: Why You Should Consciously Choose Consequences.
But today, I’m going to share with you a priceless exercise that will help you to make the right decision. To do this exercise, you are going to take whatever situation you are in and figure out what making any of the choices involved in the situation would give you. It’s best if you come up with at least five things per choice.
When you do this exercise, you will find that the things that each choice would give you are essentially values. So, by doing this exercise, you are becoming aware of what values you would be in alignment with and what values you would be making a decision for in any choice.
For example: Imagine that a person has been invited to go on a vacation with friends and that they are having a really hard time deciding whether to go or to stay. This person would create one column for the values that they would be in alignment with (or get out of) going on the vacation. Then this person would create another column for the values that they would be in alignment with (or get out of) staying. It might look something like this:
Going on Vacation Staying Home
Inclusion Security
Connection Thrift
Excitement Responsibility
Spontaneity Duty
Memories Rationality
From there, you are going to arrange all of these values in order of priority… Most important to least.
For example, when the person in our example arranges these values in order of absolute priority. It might look something like this:
Inclusion
Connection
Security
Thrift
Memories
Responsibility
Duty
Rationality
Spontaneity
Excitement
Make the choice that is most in alignment with the highest value you selected! Doing so is currently the best choice for you.
Using our example, based off of how this person arranged their values, it is clear that they would be more in alignment with their top values by choosing to go on the vacation with friends. And so, this is the decision that they should make.
This exercise is an epic one for literally any decision you may be facing. It is especially useful if you have exhausted all of your options for trying to find a third option or a choice that does not require you to choose between two or more of your top values. These are situations where you are most likely facing a really hard choice.
When you do this exercise, and you make your decision based off of your top value, you are making your decision based off of what is most important to you. Doing so makes it so that whatever you decide to do has worth, is beneficial to you and has meaning to you. And that will help you to handle any of the consequences that come with that decision. You will be making the decision that is truly right for you.
