There I was, faced with making one of the biggest decisions of my entire life, and I was in emotional shambles. I could not make it clear decision. Should I buy this condo now? Or should I turn it down and have to renew my apartment lease and continue my search for a new home? Spoiler alert: I didn’t buy the condo.
This was in March of 2019, and now one year later, I am glad to say that I’m in the process of purchasing a home. However this time around, I was not in emotional distress with tears falling down my face trying to figure out if this home purchase was the right decision for me. I have felt at peace every step of the way with my decision of purchasing this home, and that’s how I know this is the right decision for me at this time.
So now with this new experience underway this year, I have to think back and compare it to how I felt last year when almost purchasing that condo. My internal being is completely different. At this time last year, I didn’t realize it, but the fact that I was so emotionally unstable and unable to decide was actually my gut trying to tell me not to buy the condo.
Also with decision-making, I think that we put too much stress on ourselves to make the “right” choice. Cause the reality is that with most decisions, there’s always another decision that can follow it. Meaning that even if the decision you make right now turns out to be not the most ideal next step for you, you always have an option to make a new choice after that.
I know I’m not the only one who has trouble making decisions, whether they’re big or small. What I’m coming to learn is that when it’s the right decision, you will be at peace with it overall. So if your someone who has a history of indecisiveness, have no fear! It’s not a character trait; you CAN become decisive!! If I could simplify it into easy steps, it would be this:
- You have to know what you want! This does entail some soul-searching. And in order to do this, you have to get away from all the “noise.” By noise I mean everyone else’s opinions; your mom, aunt, the Facebook group your in, society… You’ve gotta deny the urge to look to everyone else’s opinions to help make your decision and spend some quality time with yourself.
- Listen to your gut! Pay attention to how you feel when presented with an option. Do you light up? Do you feel scared? It’s OK to have some mixed emotions in there, but for me, if I’m going to decide to do something, my overall feeling has to be excited. Once you’re able to get in tune with yourself and know exactly what you want, all you have to do is listen to your gut.
- Do a “test run.” If you’re still struggling to decipher what your gut is trying to tell you, have someone make the decision for you. Now I say this not for them to actually make your decision for you, but for their response to give you some type of knee jerk reaction. Again, pay attention to how you feel when you think you’re going to go with one of the options. If you felt excited and lit up on the inside, then there you go, that’s your choice! If you wished the person would have picked the other option, then again, there you go! Now you know what you don’t want.
Do you make decisions easily? Do you have any tips you want to share that make offer another perspective of how to be decisive by listening to your gut? We would love to have you share your thoughts in the comments below!