Four Simple Ways to Help You Avoid Making Bad Decisions

I read somewhere that “It only takes a second to get yourself into trouble but can take a life time to get out of it.”  A statement that is so true but so often not heeded. The opportunity to make bad decisions runs over into every aspect of our lives, business as well as personal. A bad decision can cost you a marriage, can cost you thousands of dollars or in the worst case can put you in jail.

Most people don’t intend to make bad decisions, but in a split second an unthought out action can have a long term and devastating effect on your life.

As you strive to reach your goals in life you are bound to make some mistakes, but you must not hold yourselves back from taking actions because you are afraid of what might go wrong.

 Here are four simple ways to help you avoid making bad decisions:

1. Sleep on it – many times in life you get so excited about things that you make decisions based on emotion and not facts. Once you have all the details and have decided to take action, take a step backwards and sleep on it. If a deal is good today it will be good tomorrow. It is surprising how your outlook can change overnight and you can take the emotion and excitement out of the decision making process.

2.  Ask for advice – when making important decisions there is nothing wrong with asking for advice from a trusted friend or advisor. Another party can look at things from a totally different point of view. Now here is the key: if you ask for advice – heed the advice.

3. Do your homework – If you are considering going into business with someone you should obtain as much information about them using as many sources as possible.

4. Listen to your gut – We all have intuition about things. If it just doesn’t feel right ….run. Don’t be afraid to listen to that little man or women in your head – they usually know.  In an episode of Sienfeld, George Costanza once said: “My little man’s an idiot.” For George that maybe true, but for most of us it isn’t. Listen.

Every day in business and in life we make choices – big and small. These choices will   dictate our futures. Use these simple steps to give yourselves a bigger chance of making the right decisions.

Good Selling

Bob