I often find myself stuck at a certain point not knowing what to do next. Should I send the email or not? Should I approach him or not? Should I apply for that job or not? It’s a difficult decision because, on one hand, I am really curious to know what happens next in my novel called ‘life’ but, on the other hand, I prefer to act with caution. Countless questions start flooding my brain. What if it doesn’t work out? What if it makes things worst? What if they get the wrong idea?
I’m sure, at some point in life, you found yourself in a similar situation. It’s natural, it happens to all of us. Thoughts, that’s the basic function of a brain. Some of our minds ask questions all the time. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, constant questions jumping in your head is a sign of a healthy mind. The challenge, of course, is to make the correct decision when faced with such questions. That is where the beauty lies. Thinking, deciding and executing.
Today, I wish to share with you a method that could be adopted when your mind needs to make a decision. It’s simple yet effective. This method has been so successful that the Department of Education in South Africa has included it in the school syllabus.
To make things easier to understand, let’s work with a scenario. A common occurrence in the life of every teenager….
SCENERIO: You don’t go out much but the thought of spending a night out with friends has crossed your mind. One day, some friends, not very close to you, asks you if you would like to hang out on Saturday night. You excited but scared, happy but worried. What do you do?
METHOD: This ground–breaking, decision-making method is commonly known as the IDEAL method. Why IDEAL? Because of the following five steps used…
Identify
Decide
Evaluate
Act
Learn
Here’s how it works…
Step 1- Identify: What is the problem or decision that needs to be made.
Sometimes we so caught up with emotions and thoughts that we totally miss the point. We overthink and as a result, the problem is not identified. Calm down and ask yourself “What decision do I have to make?” looking at our scenario, the problem would be…
I don’t know if I should spend a night with such friends or not.
Step 2 – Decide: What are your options.
Before you get too excited, think of all the possible options available. Don’t sit on one option for too long. There’s always more than one possibility. Give each option a chance to present its case. Three options come to mind in our scenario. There’s many more but let’s keep it to three to prevent this post from getting too long.
A. I could go with them.
B. I could say no.
C. I could tell them that I won’t be available but maybe next time.
Step 3 – Evaluate: What are the positives and negatives of each option.
Next up, look at the positives and negatives of each option. This will open up new doors of thought in your mind. Let’s do that…
A. I could go with them.
Positives:
I will have a nice time.
I’ll make new friends.
It will be a great experience.
I might become popular.
Negatives:
Those friends are not good company.
This friendship could lead to studies being neglected.
I will have to drink alcohol and maybe try a drug.
They might single me out and make fun of me.
B. I could say no.
Positives:
I will be saved from a lot of evil.
I will have more time to be productive.
I will be saved from wrong company and possibly a drug addiction.
Negatives:
They will become my enemy.
They might tease and bully me in school.
I will be known as the boring kid.
C. I could tell them that I won’t be available but maybe next time.
Positives:
I will be saved from evil.
I will be saved from wrong company.
I told them “maybe next time” so they will still be cool with me.
I probably won’t be laughed at and teased.
Negatives:
I will miss a fun experience.
I won’t be popular.
Step 4 – Act: What is the best choice for you.
After going through the positives and negatives, it’s upto you to make a decision. This is where your maturity and intellect will be tested. Some might go with option A, some with B, and some with C. Now is the time to make that all important decision. Remember, one wrong choice could be enough to destroy your entire life so think long and hard before you decide. I think option C sounds good. Let’s go with option C.
C. I won’t be available but maybe next time.
Step 5 – Learn: What can you learn from this experience.
This step comes into play after the decision is made. It could be days, weeks, months or even years, depending on the nature of the decision. Look back and see how the decision affected your life. Look for the good and/or bad that came out from that decision. This, of course, won’t change anything but it will teach you vital lessons that might come in handy when making your next major decision. Let’s look at some possible benefits that came from option C…
A few months later…
A. Two students from the group that invited me were caught with drugs and are now expelled from school.
B. I still greet them in school and they greet back even though we not very close.
Lesson to learn for next decision: Sometimes, exciting thoughts lead to problems. There is nothing wrong with going against the norm.
[End]
The scenario used above does not involve a very difficult decision. The only reason we used it is because it’s easy to understand by way of example. Life will throw you much more difficult problems. As you get older, you are faced with tougher decisions. Let’s keep this IDEAL method in mind. It works for both simple and difficult scenarios.
I would love to read your tips or thoughts on decision-making in the comments section. Life is complex. We all need to make decisions. For some it’s easy. For others, it’s a mountain to climb. Share this post. It could help someone up the mountain.
source : http://maestrouzy.com/the-ideal-decision-making-method/
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