How do you make the right choice? With indecision being the number one cause of frustration in men today — what can you do?
First of all — is there a right choice?
The first, and often biggest obstacle we face when making a decision is the belief that there is a “right choice.”
Because you’ve been programmed from an early age with this idea.
But is this, in fact, true?
Is there a right choice?
Or are there many choices that are perfectly viable under the right conditions?
And already you may be thinking, “Holy smokes — asking those questions is just making things more complicated.”
But stay with me for a moment — your happiness is at stake here.
Because you could just keep on doing things the way you’ve been doing them —
And banging your head against the wall as you search for the right solution.
Or, you could take five more minutes and change your life for the better.
Use your story to narrow the field.
Still with me?
Good.
Because what I’m about to tell you is about to make your life much simpler — and happier.
And here is the secret to making decisions you can trust.
Ready?
It’s going to seem too simple to be true.
But it is, in fact, true.
Here goes.
The secret to making decisions you can trust is trusting yourself.
Did I just say trust yourself?
Yes.
But how?
Isn’t that the problem in the first place?
That you don’t trust yourself?
Yes, but you can change that — if you want to.
How?
By changing the environment in which you make decisions.
How to use your story to narrow the field of options.
But how can you change the environment so that it helps you make decisions?
By telling your story.
The main problem right now is that you are trying to make your decisions in the context of someone else’s story.
Someone has convinced you that they have the right story and that you need to live within their story world.
But you’re having trouble with that, because when you live in someone else’s story world, you’ll always be off-balance.
Instead, you need to tell your own story.
So let’s say, for example, that you’re trying to decide between two career options.
One option is to stay where you are.
And another option is to change jobs, or even careers.
Choose one of those options and commit to it.
But which of those options is the right choice?
Good question.
But first of all — is there a right choice?
That will all depend on who is telling the story.
If you accept someone else’s story line that life should unfold in a certain way, you may be stuck with a range of unacceptable options.
Because their story world may suggest a path which does not fit you.
However, if you are willing to tell your own story — one in which you take a path which may be non-traditional, but every bit as “right” within your context —
Your decision is suddenly much easier.
Because it’s your story.
And then the challenge is to commit to one of the options within your own story.
But now, the options are much more appealing, and fit your life much better.
And don’t get me wrong — it takes courage to tell your own story.
But in the end it will make your life much happier, and your decisions will become much easier.
For more on story telling and how to tell your own story, check out Wired For Story by Lisa Cron