Miller's Musings: Decisions, Decisions

As it says on the Sam’s Dream Blog Web site, "From the personal realm to the professional arena, no dream is too small or insignificant. On the other hand, no dream is too big or unreachable. You just have to start somewhere."  OK, that’s established, but let’s say you have already started.  Let’s say you are well underway with your dream pursuits.  In fact, let’s say you are facing options on your dream pathway. You are at the crossroads.  How do you know what to do? Chip and Dan Heath have this to say in their book Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work:  "Success emerges from the quality of the decisions we make and the quantity of luck we receive. We can't control luck. But we can control the way we make choices."

If you haven’t read the book, it’s worth picking up.  In the meantime, here are some questions I use to guide my decision-making process:

1. Would you regret it more if you did what you are contemplating and it did not work out as planned, or would you regret it more if you did not try in the first place?

2. Why are you doing this?  Are you running from something or trying to prove something?

3. Similarly, are you making a decision because you or others say you should do it?

4. Is this the best timing?  Notice I did not say perfect timing.  I’d argue ?perfect timing? does not exist.

5. What is your support system of family, friends and mentors, whether or not this works out?

I hope those questions help you.  What’s your process?  I’d love to read about it in the comments below!