Life is full of decisions and as you grow, you are bound to come into contact with some challenging life changing ones too. Some people find making decisions easy, but for those of us who don’t sometimes a little help, support and guidance is needed.

Inspired by my own experiences of indecisiveness and how I dealt with them, this post is all about how you can make better decisions with the life that you have and why it’s important to learn to do so.

Hopefully you’ll come away from this post knowing how you’ll plan for your next step or feeling more confident in the decisions that you’ve already took.

The Six Stepping Stones

1. Know Your Options

Before you make any decisions concerning your future make sure you are aware of all of the options available to you. Additionally, ensure you know in great detail, what each option does and doesn’t offer to you.

There is no point in deciding to go one way, without researching the benefits of another; so save time and hassle in the long run and think carefully about your values, priorities and what you want the outcome of you decision to be before making it.

A good way to do this is to make a visual copy of your position, maybe a graph. By using some form of table you will be able to list the pros and cons of each choice and weigh up the offerings against your personal needs – thus ensuring that you’ll make an all round educated response in your final choice.

2. Trust Your Instinct

You won’t believe me when I tell you this, but you already know the answer to your biggest questions. Do I move to the city? Do I take that big promotion? Do I buy another dog? The decision isn’t deciding what the right thing to do is, the decision is deciding if you’re brave enough to admit what the right thing to do is to yourself.

A good way to talk to your instincts is to put all your options in a hat. Draw them out one by one and judge, honestly, how you feel about that draw. If you’re happy with the draw, chances are it’s the right one to take.

3. Don’t Rush

Never feel like you have to decide something straight away. In order to make a decision you have to be fully informed and content with what you have decided. So take your time and consider carefully.

Every chapter of your life is a valuable one and to waste it would be unfair to your future, so ask yourself questions. Is it the right time? What are my concerns? Will I be happy with this outcome? Is there an underlying emotion here? Never be afraid to question, question, question your choices.

4. Don’t Be Afraid To Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

We all love the comfort zone, right? It’s safe, it’s sound, and it’s close to what we know. But the comfort zone is the zone below your potential and if you don’t take a risk, then you can never expect to reach that potential.

A little hurdle in the big scheme of things is nothing and it can usually be dealt with. So never reject an offer just because it’s far from home or will involve a little extra work. Your long-term happiness is the most important thing here.

5. Don’t Base Your Decisions On Other People’s Opinions

With every decision you make there will be two overriding opinions. Those who say ‘it’s such a great opportunity and you’d be a fool to turn it down’ and those that say ‘what the hell are you doing – it’s far too big a risk’. Ignore both of them. It’s your life and your future.

If you know what would make you feel happiest and most content then go for it. Everyone’s opinions are shaped by their own aspirations for the future, not by yours. So be selfish and take all advice with more than a pinch of salt.

6. Think About The Bigger Picture

Where do you want to go with this? Where do you want this split road to take you? What kind of person do you want to be?

If your daily life circumstances change but your dream doesn’t and one of your options leads to that dream, then you should jump for it.

In life there are no right or wrong decisions. It’s your life and your rules, so always consider the next step as a stepping-stone; a chance to get a little further, but not a chance to jump to the end.

And when you finally make a decision, commit to it, invest in it, and make your own peace with it. If you want them to, things will work themselves out.

Wrote by Aimee Hall