Decide Again

Are you a good decision maker?

Do you make decisions in the moment?

Do you plan your decisions ahead of time?

Do you make decisions quickly, or do you think them through?

I heard one of my favorite coaches talking about this topic, and it really made me think about the quality of my decisions. 

If you want to achieve something big, you need to be making decisions ahead of time, using your pre-frontal cortex. That is the part of your brain responsible for executive functioning, long-term planning, and the ability to consider your past, present and future. 

When you make decisions in the moment, you are often operating from your primitive brain. The part of your brain that wants immediate gratification. Think of toddler energy - I want it NOW! 

And while that part of the brain is important, it does not always lead to the best decisions.

The challenge is that when we make decisions ahead of time, we often forget that we made them. They become the new normal, as our motivation and excitement wear off. I’m in this job because I chose this path years ago and it just makes sense at this point. But does it?

When we choose a partner, a career, a community, or a way of living, it is important to regularly recommit to those decisions. To decide again, intentionally. 

Or, to decide that a decision no longer works and make a new one (so hard!!)

This is how we infuse our lives with renewed meaning and purpose. We make a decision based on the information we have, follow through, reassess and then either recommit or choose again.