April 12, 2019
Decisions, decisions...whether they are very minor in scope or major life decisions, we are faced with them daily! How many times have you been in a position where you had difficulty making a decision? If you're like most of us, it is likely too many times to count! Unfortunately, indecision is the road leading straight to procrastination. And you've probably heard the saying "procrastination is the thief of time"...YIKES!
In business, time is money...so the ability to not only make decisions, but also to make them in a timely manner, is imperative. For small business owners, not only is this critical, but the lack of this skill, or rather 'indecision', can be quite costly and often crippling. A mentor of mine used to always say "A bad decision is better than no decision any day". You've most likely heard some iteration of that saying...but no matter how you've heard it...it is most definitely true! For starters, hindsight is 20/20...we rarely know immediately whether or not we have made the 'right' call. But when we make decisions, even if we make a thousand 'wrong' ones, we learn from them and that's a thousand more things we know to do differently next time.
The number one reason people struggle with decision-making is fear...fear of making mistakes and/or fear of failure. Another top reason is often the lack of confidence...confidence in your abilities and skills. However, the decisions we face on a day to day basis, whether in our business or personal lives, are RARELY life or death situations. So when you look at everything from that vantage point, it quickly puts things in a different light...and may make the decision easier to make. Author, Biographer, Columnist, Marie Beynon Ray, once said "Indecision is fatal. It is better to make a wrong decision than build up a habit of indecision. If you're wallowing in indecision, you certainly can't act - and action is the basis of success." Wise words...
Decision-making is a skill-set...so like all skill sets, some are going to be better at it than others. The good news, however, is it can be learned and indecision can be overcome. Remember, not making a decision IS making a decision. Inaction is most often far more damaging than the 'wrong' decision you are afraid to make. So...crush those fears, look at the facts, phone a friend, trust your instincts...do whatever works for you to make a decision and MOVE ON!