Yes, there is a decision but no easy decision. That's why we need to know better decision-making skills.
Hence, I want to share about the second part of decision makings.
1. Identify what you want vs. What you don't want in life
2. Understand the consequences of your decisions
3. Recognize the signs that it's time to make a change
4. Make a pros and cons list before deciding
5. Evaluate how your decision could affect others around you
6. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new experiences
Rule #4. Make a pros and cons list before deciding
Let us think about simple things first. I want to buy a new Apple watch - yes, Ultra. You may think about the benefits of having it while you may worry about the next month's credit card bills.
Simple pros (benefits) will be, (1) make myself happy (2) more exercise tracking (3) recognized as a trend person.
Simple cons(drawbacks) might be, (1) too many watches already (2) credit card bills (3) maintenance and duration for usage
If we make this table: it would be like this: Trust me this table will help make any decision. Plus, you can give weight to individual pros and cons points based on your criteria!
Recently, I was in the process of a new job opportunity and I created a similar table with weight. Besides, the negotiable and non-negotiable portions are added too. The final negotiation result can't be revealed yet but the discussion itself was very structured.
Rule #5. Evaluate how your decision could affect others around you
It might be similar to understanding the consequences of the decision. It means you, someone in your team, or your family members will take risks together and be aware of outcomes from short, mid-term, and long-term perspectives. It doesn't mean that there would be only positive outcomes. More negative outcomes might come too.
For instance, if you are joining to new company form your current job, you would see some factors as follows:
What the opportunities cost- you may lose next year's bonus, and you may lose your colleagues and sponsors in the current company. Sometimes, you would not see an upcoming promotion opportunity.
Short-term and long-term consequences- in the short-term, you would see quite a decent salary increase but from the year after next, you would not see any salary increase.
Risk assessment - the above two factors are also part of the risk assessment framework so you will need to see personal, financial, and ethical risks from all aspects.
One thing, I really want to highlight is the emotional consequences that the decision will impact on my mental health and well-being. I know one colleague who is capable and invited by many competitors but he never left his current company. When I asked him the reasons to stay there, he told that he values his team and current network inside of the organization. He told me that he knows about himself.
Rule #6. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new experiences
Nonetheless, whatever risk assessment and opportunity cost review we have done, taking new steps is fantastic and thrilling things. Once you make up your mind, pls go for it. Our humanity grows if we face challenges and overcome them.
There are so many examples of the beauty of taking risks and I want to emphasize only a few:
Resilience - we fail. everyone fails. However, we restart. Tremendous learning from failure and mistakes. "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail."
Personal growth and taking opportunities - talking about opportunities cost, then now suddenly opportunity. Leave one card down and a better card can be taken. You can't have everything.
Last but not least, self-confidence. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone will help you to get more confident and accept another adventure in your life.
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. by Theodore Roosevelt