Making difficult decisions

We have all faced on many occasions different moments in which we are required to make difficult decisions. Making such decisions can be quite a problem for some, since at the bottom of these situations we are usually talking about elements that are of great importance to our lives and that if we make mistakes when deciding, could bring us very harmful consequences. That said, many people, in their desire to avoid making difficult decisions, choose to remain immobile as a response.

Not acting is the worst decision you can make in these situations, because if the decision is complex to make, it will surely be because it deals with an issue that is of great importance. During the development of this guide we will be addressing some of the basic elements related to making difficult decisions, so that it will be useful for us to know how to behave when the time comes.

Demystify the situation

The first task to carry out in order to break that state of emotional paralysis that can generate the fact of having to face a situation in which we must make a difficult decision, is to demystify the situation on which we must decide. Many times the difference between how complex it is for us to make a decision, does not lie in how complex the situation is, but in what we can lose in case of making a wrong decision.

If we turn to rational thinking, we notice that the methodology to decide on something unimportant is the same as the one we should use to decide on something important. The importance of the issue we are deciding on should not alter the way we decide. That said, start by demystifying, you have to focus on deciding for what you consider right, the chances of being wrong are not going to change because the fact is important or not.

Accept the possibility of being wrong

If you are not able to accept that there is a possibility that you are making the wrong decision, it is very unlikely that you will be encouraged to make any decision. Unconsciously we do it every time we decide about simple things, we know that we can be wrong, but this is not something that torments us or generates anxiety in us, since we know that in case of not getting it right the damages will not be very serious.

This changes when we are talking about a complex situation, where if we are wrong the damages would be more severe. At this point we are afraid of being wrong, but if we stop to think, both in simple and complex decisions we will always opt for what we believe is right, because no matter how small the damage is, no one decides something wrong on purpose. If we accept the possibility of being wrong in complex situations, in the same way that we accept this possibility in simple situations, we will not suffer so much in the process of having to make a difficult decision.

Not acting is the worst decision

As we said in the introduction to this guide, the worst decision you can make is not to act. You cannot let emotional paralysis dominate you, if there is a situation that torments you and that requires you to make a decision about it, the worst thing you can do is to refrain from acting in order to avoid the bad feelings that this decision is causing you.

It is better to make a wrong decision than to let the problems continue without you taking part in the matter. It is better to make a mistake in time than to allow the problem to continue to grow because of our passivity.