How to Make a Decision — is the Most Important Decision of Your Life
In life, it is inevitable to experience birth and death, prosperity and hardship, success and failure. Although they say we’re all gonna fall to our own fate & destiny, human factor is still the more crucial component — what we have control over. Why is that? One needs to not only cultivate the traditional meaning of the internal human factors — studying, learning, self-growth, and doing good deeds; but you’ll also need to know how to cooperate with the mostly uncontrollable external circumstantial factors — timing, condition, human relations, cultural morals, and the system of the Laws.
Your innate nature and acquired knowledge form your identity. Your identity defines your decision-making ability. Your decisions will decide your destiny. Every time life throws you an scenario, a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something — you must face it and determine how to react to it. Ask yourself: What is my position? Am I the host or the guest? Should I advance or retreat? Analyze your position from an objective standpoint. Every decision made by you will result the corresponding gains or losses.
Therefore, you must not make your decisions recklessly and impulsively. You also must not casually let someone else make decisions at your own consequences. Be more rational, and less emotional. When you can decide your own fate & destiny, you are an autonomous being — you’re contented and happy at ease. Inversely, if you let someone decide your own fate & destiny, you’ll become a subservient being — you’ll be depressed and regretful.
Invest in your internal human factors. To make more beneficial and less damaging decisions in life, improve your decision-making wisdom by introspecting yourself. Ask yourself: How will someone react to my own character, attitude, the words I said, and past mistakes. Good things in life are earned, but not demanded or entitled.
Before making a decision, especially a major one; observe the condition, analyze the information, research past cases, arrange a plan, construct your execution, and lineup a backup remedy plan in case things go out of your expectations. Once the decision and made, it is time to relax. There’s no need to worry further, because the first half where you consider your internal human factor is done. The second half is outside of your control, which is the result of your luck, and how the rest of the external circumstantial factors transpire. Don’t waste your energy on stressing out over things that you can’t control, it is futile.
So how do you be more rational and less emotional, when it comes to making decisions?
Prioritize the order of your life values & goals — from the most important to the least. Health and longevity, freedom and leisure, wealth and fame, love and family, knowledge and skills, etc. Make your decisions based on how you want to achieve the order of your values and goals.
Your age affects the way you prioritize your values and goals. Different life stages — different values — different prospect. Your decisions should match your life expectancy.
Calculate and be aware of the amount of life chips in your hand at that very decision-making moment — wisdom, aptitude, funding, timing, social network, family, etc. Determine how much you can afford to bet accordingly.
Be aware of your unfinished responsibilities in your life, and determine your risk tolerance in making your decisions accordingly. (In general, the less responsibilities you have, you more risks you can take.)
Can you afford to lose? Is there a chance to make a comeback after a failure in the future? Can you afford to pay price if you fail? “Failure is the mother of success.” — in life, very few can immediately get a win in one or two fights. Repeatedly get defeated, recover, return, and fight over and over again, is the normal and usual process of achieving success.
If you don’t make this decision, will you regret it at the end of your life? If you will regret not making it, make the decision.
Can you afford the absolute worst possible consequences of the decision? Are you willing to pay the price? If you can afford it, and you are willing to pay it, make the decision.
Remember, you’ve got to be “Good to be lucky, and lucky to be good.”