Making Decisions

11/8/21

My article today is based on a lecture we received here in camp, we all make decisions and should endeavour to always make the right decisions.

Each and every day of our lives we are faced with various situations in life which requires that we make choices.

Some choices we make are very easy, and most times, some of them can be so difficult. Easy decisions such as what clothing we should wear; most of us choose what to wear based on the season of the year we are, the weather of the day, and where we might be have in mind to go

Most of the decisions that seem to be very difficult are the ones that requires a very deep level of thought from us. Examples of some difficult decisions we make, are things like where to attend school, the career path that would be the best for us to take up, and/or whether or not to marry and start a family first.

All these decisions are so difficult to decide on because they are all life changing decisions; they shape who we are and also moulds our future perfectly.

Making good decisions is something that must be learned and adopted properly. It is not something which we are born into, but basically a step by step process which is usually gotten from our life experiences.

Some adults actually know that getting an experience could be a very costly thing, teachers that are not effective will instill more bad habits than good in their students; and because decisions can vary vividly from one situation to another, the experience we gain from making important decisions is at times of little or no use when you are encountered by other decision making problems.

When we want to make decisions, there are many steps that we can take; but I'll talk only about five which are important. These steps are as follows:
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Step 1: Endeavour to Identify Your Goals

A very effective decision making strategy is to keep your eyes set on your goals. This means that you should identify the purpose of any decision you make by asking yourself what exactly is the problem that has to be solved? And why exactly this problem needs solution.⁵

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Step 2: Gather Information needed on order to Weigh Your Options

When we are making good decisions it is important to gather information that is directly related to the problem and not those that are unnecessary. Doing this will help you to have better understanding of what you need to do in order to solve all problems we have at hand, and this will also help to gather ideas that would lead to possible solution.

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Step 3: Always Consider the Consequences of every Decision made

We should take this step as important as te first step because it will help you decide how your final decision will be of benefit to you, and/or others involved. Also here, you will ask yourself what would likely be the results of whatever decision you make. How will this decision affect you now? Or how will this decision affect you in the future?

Step 4: Make Your Decision Firmly

Now that you have identified your goal, gathered all information needed, and have weighed the consequences of every decision you make, it is time for you to make a choice and actually execute your final decision without doubt. Also understand that this step can put lots of people in great anxiety and it's very important because here you have to trust whatever your instinct decides on.

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Step 5: Evaluate Your Final Decision

Now, immediately after you make your final decision and have successfully put it into action, it is advisable to evaluate the decision you made and all the steps you have taken so far in order to ensure that it works.

I'll say this final step is probably just as important as step one, if not even more important than it, because it will help you to develop your decision making skills further for any problems you might encounter in the future.

Although the five steps I listed above can help and assist us in simplifying the decision we make, there are some common drawbacks that we must also take into account.
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Identifying the Wrong Problem

Having only a Single Source

Getting Information from Too Many Sources

Overestimating the Outcome you might receive

Poor Timing

When there are more than enough steps than we can count at once, most people tend to either skip or overlook a step, or wrongly construe the order in which they should follow the steps. If you follow the five steps above, and also remember the common pitfalls that have been mentioned too, you will be well on your way to making the best decisions for yourself.

N.B: Still in camp, 5days to go.💃💃💃💃