Why making the right decision is so important? Was there a time you had to make a decision which, at least at the time you had to make it, seemed as if it was a matter of life and death?
I bet you spent hours or even days struggling to find out what would be the best choice. Do you remember what you did to identify which choice would be the best?
Trying to Identify The Right Decision
When we try to identify the right decision we all usually follow specific steps and I can tell you followed them also. You probably thought about all the alternatives and tried to figure out which choice would be the best one. You even made scenarios of what the outcome might be short-term and long-term.
That is something that is always stressful and I think is always doomed to failure.
We usually try to collect all information available, we ask for other people’s experiences and opinions. We even try to think of what would our friends and loved ones do if they had to take this specific decision? Sometimes we even ask for their advice.
And then what?
What Does The Right Choice Mean?
Is there anyone who can reassure us that there is a specific right choice for us? And after all, what does the right choice mean?
Usually, most of us are carried away by what other people usually do in similar circumstances, by what other people advise us, by what we think that other people will think about us once we make a specific decision. Sometimes even knowing how some people would react when we make a decision prevents us from moving on with it.
But, I think that if you ask the same question to 100 different persons there is a good chance you get lots of different answers, and then it gets even more confusing.
What did each one of them have in mind when giving a specific answer? Were there any specific experiences they had that led to this answer? What was the emotional status at the moment the answer was provided?
Why Nobody Can Help When You Ask “Am I Making the Right Decision?”
Truth be told. Nobody, but nobody, can really help us in making the right decision and obviously, nobody could ever reassure us whether our final decision was right.
Each and every one of us is so special and different. And that is a good thing. It is great actually!
Even if we try our best to make sure we have collected all the data available that would probably help us in making the best possible choice, we can never be absolutely sure that this was it. It might give us a sense of confidence while proceeding with it and it will also give us this feeling of completion that we tried to find out as much as possible before we decide. That is all.
Honestly, how could we ever be sure about a choice we made that it is the best one? How much could we ever know about something that has not yet happened to us? About something, we have not yet experienced?
Right. Nothing!
“When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons”
Sigmund Freud
The Meaning of Feelings and Decisions
Everyone goes through several different emotions while being in the process of trying to make a decision. However, there is only one thing we can tell for sure which is related to feelings and decisions and that is how we feel the moment we finally make that decision.
Happy? Relieved? Excited? Frightened? Anxious? Terrified?
All the above and even more are possible post-decision-making feelings and usually more than one of them simultaneously. Do they indicate whether the decision was right or wrong? I would say not necessarily.
They indicate exactly what they are and nothing more. Our feelings the moment we made the specific decision. Whether the decision was actually right or wrong, is something that only time can tell for sure.
Related: Choose Joy -5 Reasons to Empower your Choice for Joy
Embrace Your Choices
Whatever is the choice that is made, what we have to do is embrace our choice and move on as if we are absolutely sure that this choice was the best. And that is because it was the best for us at that specific moment. There is no need to question the choice. Questioning your choice after you have made it would only cause unnecessary suffering, pain, and fear for any future choice.
The most important thing when you have to choose is to actually make a choice.
“In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing”
Theodore Roosevelt
Every new decision you make could prove to be a choice that could save your life, change your life, change you and your relationships with others.
Our life becomes what we make it, through the choices we make each and every day. Even the smallest ones can lead us somewhere we have never imagined. Take the time you feel is needed to make your decision but always have in mind that even the wrong decisions become valuable lessons.
Related: Appreciate Difficulties – 5 Reasons Why You Should
Conclusion
Never be afraid to make a decision because you don’t want it to be the wrong one. Every choice you make is the right one the moment you make it. If something goes wrong in the future it might be time just to make a new choice.
You always proceed while having in mind what is best for you. Do not waste your time questioning your old choices in life. Move one holding your experience and lessons you have learned and make new best decisions towards the life you always wanted.
“If you take too long in deciding what to do with your life, you’ll find out you’ve done it”
George Bernard Shaw
What about you? What are your thoughts about the decision-making process?
Related: You Strive For Perfection? Successful Aren’t Perfectionists
Love this and I definitely agree with embracing your choices xx
Glad you liked it Della! thank you for taking time to read and comment <3
I like the idea of thinking as if your choice was the right decision. I tend to ruminate a bit, and always have the ‘what if’ going on in the back of my mind. But this certainly helps. Thanks for sharing!
I think we all at some point tent to think “what if” but whenever we make a decision we always make it cause we consider it as the right one and this is how we should treat it from that moment on.
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Great post! Thank you.
Sometimes we make decisions that make our mistake a dead end. Sometimes the decisions we make make our lives better. But in both cases, one has to wait for the result… Unfortunately, it is not always possible to make the right decisions.
It is never possible to be sure you made the right decision but each time you make one it is because you think it is the right one. The outcome is always unknown but even bad decision turn into great experiences for next time you have to deal with something similar. Thank you very much for taking time to read and share your opinion on it!
Fantastic article. I struggle when it comes to making life altering decisions. Will I do the wrong thing? What if this what if that? But, after reading this, I feel like it normalises that yes, sometimes we might make the wrong decision. But that’s part of being human.
Since we all make a decision after all there is no point doubting the decision. Nothing to win out of it. Even if it was a wrong decision nothing stops us from making a new decision every singe moment. Thank you for taking time to read and share your opinion!
Great post! Yes it’s easy to go down the analysis-paralysis road.
I tend to gather data to have a general picture then go with guts. I generally never look back. Whether good or bad, each decision contributes to gaining experience.
Totally agree. Whether good or bad, each decision when made is the decision you have to live with it’s consequences and all decisions and their outcome become experiences in the end.
Thank you for taking time to read and comment!
I always think when making these types of decisions it’s good to get advice and extra info/opinions from those around you that you love and respect — but ultimately we’re the ones who will have to live with/experience the consequences. Most of the time (in my personal experience) I think we already know the answer and the choices we’re going to make even before we ask for help, etc. We’re just seeking comfort that things will work out in the end. This was a really thoughtful post — thanks for sharing!
More or less we all follow the same procedure in order to make a decision. I do agree that the basic reason for asking the opinion of others is to seek comfort that things will work out in the end. Thank you for sharing your opinion on it!
I am really glad you liked it and found it helpful! thank you <3
Love this! I’m a really indecisive person and have always really struggled when making decisions, but I definitely agree with all of this! I personally use pro con lists a lot (a friend bought me this super helpful knock knock pad for it) and when in doubt you can always toss a coin, haha (apparently your reaction reveals what you really wanted to do?). Thanks for sharing <3
I am glad you liked it! Our reactions reveal our feelings toward our decision, so yes, I would call it what we feel that we wanted to do at that specific time. Thank you for taking time to read and share your opinion on it!
Exactly! Even bad choices turn out to great experiences for the next time you have to make a similar decision! Glad you liked it and thnk you for taking time to comment!
This was so motivational. Self-doubt is such an issue in the modern world and I think learning to appreciate and understand that our choices make us unique is very important!
I totally agree with you that self doudt is a huge issue in the modern world! thank you for reading and sharing your opinion 🙂
Hnmmm, this is a very subjective topic. I believe that whatever choices you make will have consequences whether good or bad. And the choices you make will affect other people’s choices as well, it’s a train of reaction. So it’s important to always think about your choices first before making them. But thinking too long will render you doing nothing and thinking too little will render you damning the consequences. So always think good choices because it affects others to do good as well. Thanks for sharing
The only thing for sure is that all choices have consequences whether good or bad. The thing is that we can never be absolutely sure about the outcome. Even choices that are well thought and are taken as really good turn out to be catastrophic. I think we all think about what will be the best or us but we are not always in possition to know for sure. Totally agree that whatever the choice does not only affect only us but also others. Thank you for taking time to read and share your thoughts on this <3
Great quotes! Big decisions are tough but weighing the pros and cons logically takes the emotion out of them. That makes the decision less anxiety-provoking for me. Thanks so much.
Thank you Sue for taking time to read and comment 🙂
It definitely is! Thank you for taking time to read and comment 🙂
great read! i tend to get pretty conflicted with decision making sometimes. i’m always weighing other people’s opinions too much when i should be asking myself instead.
We all do it more or less I think! I am glad you liked it! Thank you ❤️
I loved this Eri! Deciding on what decision is right for you can be hard. Most times, before I take a decision, I think it through. Whenever we make a decision, we make that decision because in our head, it is the best at the specific moment and so if afterwards, we find out that it was a wrong decision, instead of complaining or feeling sad, we should embrace our choice and move on as if the choice we made was the best. Recently, I made a decision without thinking. I literally had seconds to decide on what I wanted to do. I have been feeling sad about that decision I took but it’s time to let all sadness go. That decision was the best decision at the specific time. Thank you so much for sharing!
I am glad you liked it Ruth! We all have to embrace our choices. After all even if something turns out really bad we can make a different choice from then on. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
I agree but I am an impulsive kind of person so sometimes I wish I had thought things through.
thank you Jamie!
Valuable post! I totally agree with you about embracing your choices and not questioning it. For me, whether it’s a right or wrong choice, there’s always a lesson to learn. Some we may regret, some we’re proud but in the end – we are what we choose to be! x
Exactly that! thank you for reading it and taking time to comment 🙂
Love this!! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Enn! I am glad you liked it!
Really enjoyed this thought-provoking post. When making decisions, I seldom make split second ones, but am guilty of mulling things over for way too long. Whatever the method, I’ve seldom regretted a decision.
As you stated, it is important to make a choice.
I am happy you enjoyed it Gail! Thank you for taking time to read and comment ❤️
Great tips, we might doubt our decision but if we don’t do it. We will never learn or know if it’s right or not. For me, I look at it from different aspects before proceeding to and it depends on what is the decision. These will help a lot. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Fransic for sharing your point of view on it! Really grateful 🙂
Awesome! Totally agree that “Truth be told. Nobody, but nobody, can really help us in taking the right decision.” Absolutely. Go within. And love your quote from Freud, that weighing all the pros and cons is a great way to make MINOR decisions. I sometimes do research and weigh pros and cons, but ultimately, my inner voice makes the final call. Meditating helps. And, making no decision is making a decision. Great post!
I think it is always our inner voice that makes the final call. Pros and cons lists and others opinions we just need them as an additional confirmation of what we already know. Thank you Laura for sharing your opinion on this post! I am glad you liked it 🙂
This is such an interesting topic. I definitely agree with embracing your choices.
Thank you Kelly!
Making a decision came be so difficult at times. I have in the past had regret and feel like I have made the wrong choices in life. I have recently come to terms with that. Its good to analyze and think about something before doing it. I try to really come to terms with what choice was made.
I think you all analyze it more or less when we have to make a decision. The important is to embrace the final choice and stop questioning it. Thank you for reading and commenting 😊
This is such a thought probing blog post. Make your own decisions and embrace the outcome. This is definitely a topic I’ll be discussing with close friends. Thank you for sharing this brilliant post. 😃
We should always embrace the outcome of our choices. Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
Thank you for posting, I have a hard time making decisions and I like to be comfortable, and don’t like change.
Most people feel discomfort with changes, that is for sure. Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
This came along at the very right time for me! I currently have a big decision to make and while I know whatever I choose will be right for me, it doesn’t make the decision any easier. It also doesn’t help that everyone else is weighing in their opinions too!!
I think that deep inside you you already know what you want most Vourneen but you cannot ignore the other option either. Take your time to think about it but I think you should follow your gut. I wish you all the best whatever it is you finally choose!
this is such deep insight into our decision making process. i really liked the part about decisions impacting feelings!
Fantastic and eye opening post! It can be difficult when making decisions. Sometimes we make the right one. Other times, we fall flat. I think it’s all part of the learning curve of being human.
Glad you liked it! Thank you for commenting 🙂
All it takes is confidence. Sometimes decision can be wrong. But most important we learned something from it. So no regrets.
Exactly! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Well if you don’t have plenty of money to waste I can totally understand why these decisions mind take days of thinking 🙂. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Love this! I’ve always shied away from making decisions in the past but going into the new year I want to work on that and acting with more confidence. I think embracing decisions which you make is super important – it can just lead to regret. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
I am really glad to read that you liked it. Thank you for commenting 🙂
Love this. We make so many decisions, but sometimes doing nothing is a poor choice. It’s a reminder that all the choices build our experience in life. I can be very indecisive so I probably needed this reminder!