Decisions

by Mike Coleman

June 14, 2011 - Issue #85

Every day of our lives we are faced with the difficult task of making tough decisions. Decisions can sometimes be very painful and very difficult but they still have to be made. Being indecisive can impact your business and your life.

It seems personal responsibility for our decisions or choices has been lost in our society. Whenever a government official sends explicit photos of themselves or sends a text with an inappropriate message, it is the result of "sexual addiction". It is not due to the fact they simply cannot control their sexual impulses.

The reality is, they made bad decisions and they are cowards for not facing up to the consequences of their decisions or choices. It takes courage to make the tough decisions and it takes courage to say you made a mistake (and really meaning it) when you make a bad decision ... without making excuses.

Wherever you are in your life at this time is a result of all the decisions or choices you have made up to this point. There is no one else to blame and no one can take responsibility for where you are except you. The real leaders in business have the ability to make decisions quickly. They have the ability to face the consequences of those decisions and to take responsibility for their decisions whether good or bad.

The main reason most people cannot make tough decisions revolves around fear - fear of failure, fear of accountabilty, or simply fear of making the wrong decision.

Do you have decisions you need to make that you are putting on the back burner? How is this impacting your business?

Here are a few tips for helping you make better decisions:

1. Learn to follow your gut. Generally you know what the "right" decision is if you just learn to follow your first instinct or follow your gut feeling. That comes from experience (and from making a few bad decisions).

2. Gather all the infromation you can as quickly as you can so you can make an educated decision.

3. Learn not to beat yourself up when you make the wrong decision. Move on as quickly as possible.

4. Have the end result in mind. What do you want to accomplish as a result of making this decision and is it in the best interest of everyone concerned?

In business, you make decisions every day concerning how you spend your time, how you spend your money, and how you deal with clients. And all these decisions affect your bottom line.

It does take courage to make the tough decisions but you can get better at making them through constant practice. It will get easier with time if you develop the habit of making decisions quickly and living with the consequences of those decisions.

To Your Success,

Mike Coleman
P. O. Box 291642
Nashville, TN 37229
615-308-8078
www.mikecoleman.net