Many of us struggle with making decisions.

• Decisions in the workplace can often be avoided as we seek more data or more time to see things develop
• Decisions in the home may not seem as urgent and it can often seem harmless by pushing them off for another day
• Decisions in our community often face the complexity of rules and regulations that make it easier to just blame the bureaucracy than to make a decision to change

As we continue our journey to build and strengthen our character, developing the discipline to make decisions will enable us to translate thoughts into actions and take us further down the path to reaching our full potential.

Experts in decision making and perhaps our own personal experience would remind us of a few realities about avoiding a decision: (a) A critical question to ask ourselves is are we just afraid of taking the responsibility that comes with deciding? Afraid of what may result in a failure, embarrassment or something worse and (b) Delaying a decision is in fact a decision that has consequences.

As we look to strengthen our decision-making ability, below are a few thoughts on helping us all move forward:

1. Decisions matter. Making decisions teaches us personal responsibility and over time, we become a product of our decisions.  Our environment and genetics become a side show over time and as an adult, we need to face the reality that we become products of our decisions, not our environment or upbringing.
2. Decisions bring clarity. When making decisions, we are often choosing one path over another. Clarity is a more effective state than ambiguity.  Speaking the decision (to ourselves and/or others) can act as a physical reinforcement of the decision we are making. “I am making a decision to…” It often provides the clarity we need to move forward.
3. Decision making is hard. In making a decision, we inevitably face the reality of potentially making a poor choice, upsetting those who don’t agree, and standing all alone.
4. Not deciding can bring more harm than good. Failing to decide helps us avoid responsibility which is never a good thing, leaves others wondering where we stand which creates distance in our relationships, and burns precious energy as we churn in neutral as oppose to focusing our energy down a certain path.

As we rely on principles such as courage, resilience, and hope to become more intentional about making decisions, we will build and strengthen our character and Character Creates Opportunity for us to reach our full potential and have a positive impact on those around us.