Sometimes its hard to make the right decision. You’re afraid to take a step forward and make a big mistake. You don’t want to waste the time and effort trudging down the wrong path. You search and search for the RIGHT answer but you end up with more indecision than you started with. Plus, the situation keeps changing. The path you were 75% sure of three days ago has completely changed and now you’re back to a 50/50 chance of picking the right way. Or worse. You find yourself in an endless circle of doubt….
“Ring Around the Rosies
Pockets Full of Posies
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.” -Mother Goose
The truth is that many people get seriously stuck when making a decision. And when they finally do decide, they end up picking something based on emotion and then trying to rationalize the decision with logic.
So how can you circumvent the desire for instant gratification and still make the right decision?
Ask Mother Goose.
READY-AIM-FIRE
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the Kings Horses and all the King’s Men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again” -Mother Goose
WHAT IS IT?
READY-AIM-FIRE is one of the most prevalent methods for making decisions. You prepare yourself with information, aim at your intended target or goal, and then send all your efforts and actions towards the goal in a “perfect” arc. Unfortunately, there is usually a huge disconnect between AIM and FIRE.
How will you know if you’ve aimed at the exact right spot? You don’t. You can’t. Its called the future because it hasn’t happened yet. So a lot of people end up tweaking their aim, over and over and over again. Sitting on the wall, keeping all of their options open, until eventually the opportunity has passed them by. Analysis paralysis is a real problem and it afflicts millions of hard working people across the world. It’s a great way to end up shooting yourself in the foot instead of advancing towards your goal. Or finding yourself scattered in a million pieces because you waited too long to choose one way or the other.
HOW DO YOU USE IT?
Instead of READY-AIM-FIRE, use the READY-FIRE-AIM approach. This is akin to the Hypothesis-Test method. You describe a hypothesis for what you want, and then test your hypothesis to see if its true. After you review the results, you modify the hypothesis and test again.
Remember, its called trial and error because you’re supposed to make a few mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with mistakes. In fact, they are one of the best ways to learn. If you believe that mistakes and failure are bad, then visit www.RecreateYourLife.com and change your limiting beliefs. They are only holding you back.
Brainstorm-> Organize-> Prioritize-> Execute-> Improve
“One, two, buckly my shoe
Three, four, knock at the door
Five, six, pick up sticks
Seven, eight, lay them straight” -Mother Goose
WHAT IS IT?
BOPEI is a popular decision technique across businesses and cubicles. It’s sometimes referred to as the trap of Continuous Improvement because each step “seamlessly” flows from one to the next. The process is designed to prove you’ve made the correct choice before you act and many people swear by it. Unfortunately, it’s not that straightforward. It usually takes a lot more time and effort that you anticipated and generally ends up causing serious data overload for everyone involved.
However, I actually like this method. In fact, I studied it for many years under the guise of Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and other quality Buzzwords. (Okay, you can all yell BS BINGO now. Done? Good. Lets move forward.) The problem isn’t the process, it’s the intention to create an impossible flawless result. At each step you may find yourself asking, ”Have I Brainstormed enough options/solutions/causes? Am I using the most efficient Organization technique? Is there enough data to Prioritize everything? Did I Execute it correctly? What else can I Improve?
HOW DO YOU USE IT?
To reduce all this complexity, place limits on perfection. For example, limit your Bubble Brainstorming session time to 1 hour. Only implement the most important 2 or 3 actions. Execute with what you know, right now, instead of what you hope you’ll know in the future. Your final answer will never be perfect, but you can always revisit it later.
The 60 Second Rule
“Inny, Minny, Miny Mo
Catch a Tiger By His Toes
If he hollers, let him go
Inny, Minny, Miny Mo” -Mother Goose
WHAT IS IT?
The 60 Second Rule is the absolute opposite of the first two decision making methods. Basically, you give yourself 60 seconds to make the decision and take the first choice that comes to mind. This tactic is great for small decisions or, big decisions with small consequences.
HOW DO YOU USE IT?
Initially it feels really scary to JUST PICK ONE. But, over time, it becomes liberating to make a choice quickly and then use your energy to work toward your goal, instead of wasting it on an idealized solution.
It’s also easier to change your mind. Unlike the first two approaches, once you recognize a mistake, you can quickly select a new destination or intention and focus you energy on that. No overwhelming data stream can stop you from acting. And action is the only way you can reach your goal.
Trust Your Voice
“Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might.
Have the wish, I wish tonight.” -Mother Goose
WHAT IS IT?
Listening to your own internal Voice is the most effective method of them all. Simply ask the question and listen closely for your answer. Ignore your desire for instant gratification and the clamor of other people’s opinions that bombard you. Remember, your internal Voice is very different from your immediate desires. It isn’t fleeting or fickle. It’s the direct gateway to your Meaning and your Life Purpose. Your Voice is the knowledge of Truth coupled with the power of Choice. It holds the secrets of your deepest hopes and provides immediate access to your Consciousness.
HOW DO YOU USE IT?
To activate the Voice when faced with a decision, ask yourself:
- Is this me?
- Does this choice feel like me?
- Does it feel like The Truth? (as compared to a truth)
- Can I accept responsibility for this choice?
- Will I grow closer to my Life Purpose and Goals?
- Can I feel it strengthening the deeper Meaning of my life?
Besides strengthening the belief in yourself and your decisions, listening to your Voice forces you to acknowledge responsibility for your actions. This is a phenomenal side effect that the other three decision methods do not inherently include. By using your Voice and making a conscious choice, you regain the Power you used to give away. Too often we let others make choices for us and then blame them for the consequences. Don’t do this. Accept the Power of Choice that is already yours and let your Voice guide the way.
Don’t Wait, Choose Today
In the end, it’s critical to realize that NOT making a decision is still making a decision. The world is constantly changing, which means that the “right” choice will transform into something completely different while you gather data and wait and wait and wait.
“The Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the spout again!” -Mother Goose
You will climb higher and learn faster by committing to your choices. Accept that you cannot know the exact future, that you will make mistakes, and grow from those mistakes.
By acting on a Conscious Choice you become an active participant in the creation of your life, your reality, and your future.
BREAK
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What’s you decision making process? How do you ensure you take action after making important decisions? Share your ideas in the comment section! |
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Ring around the rosie quote…..I guess I’m not sure who Mother Goose is…or when Mother Goose wrote….but “ring around the rosie, pocket full of posies, ashes ashes we all fall down” is a little ditty that young children used to “sing” when Europe was hit with the plague. The suggested meaning of it was the plague left hugh sores that occurred in red rings and people who had to walk through the streets used to carry posies lifted to their noses so they would not have to breath in the overwhelming smell of death that was everywhere. “Ashes, ashes” referred to the immense fires that were set to destroy the dead bodies and certainly, “we all fall down” related to the fact that an overwhelming amount of people died of this dreaded epidemic.
@mom – So I did some digging in the history of this particular rhyme and discovered that we are probably both right. According to Wikipedia, this rhyme was first published in Kate Greenaway’s “Mother Goose” in 1881, but it is noted to have originated around the 1790’s. Scholars have as yet been unable to prove the plague interpretation(and hence an origin in the Great Plague of 1655).
We may never know, but at least the rhyme is still amusing children and teaching decision making to the rest of us. LOL 🙂