Five basic steps to making a decision

In the decision-making process we use to select a course of action from among any number of possibilities that present themselves mentally. Many people often have difficulty in making decisions because every decision has an outcome. To evaluate a choice is to go to your conscious mind. What logically looks like the best decision? What do you think? Does one option look more attractive than the other and why? Always ask why. Why does the mind think one way is better than the other? What are its criteria? Why does the body feel strongly about it? Why are those feelings there? Before making any decisions gather as much information as possible on the subject. Making any major decision, write down on paper all your options you gathered in steps and evaluate the pros and cons of each. Now weigh your alternatives in order to make an educated decision. Then develop short and long-term goals for the lifecycle of that goal. Here are some steps you can take:

1. Identify the problem
2. Make a list of the possible choices
3. List the pros and cons of each choice
4. Choose an action plan
5. Evaluate the consequences

Learning these steps is the easy part.  The difficult part is putting them into practice.  To help your children learn how to make decisions, do not answer every request they make.  Instead, let them go over out loud the steps to making a decision.  Choose your questions carefully to do this with, since you will have to live with the decision they make.