Do you get torn between two path options? Do you tend to sit on the fence for a while before you decide on a direction?
I can easily get caught in analysis paralysis facing certain crossroads:
- choosing a niche
- grappling with a business vs career direction
- navigating a day job and role description transition
I didn’t want to be stuck on the fence, but I couldn’t force my way off it.
“Just make a decision,” people would tell me.
How? I would wonder.
“With action comes clarity,” others would say.
Which action?! I would scream inside.
“Make your SMART goal and you’ll have a better likelihood of getting what you want in life,” blogs declared.
How do I figure out what I really want? I would ponder.
Finally, I decided to see if there was a way to organize my thoughts, emotions and questions to feel peace or confidence about a certain direction.
Ambiguity isn’t your friend.
Your brain is meant to solve problems. It won’t want to rest until it does. However, if you’re not completely sure what the problem is, or even what your solid options are, your thoughts and emotions will cycle around and around.
After journaling past decisions, mining blogs and books for different styles of decision-making, patterns emerged.
I sorted the essentials into map for guiding my thoughts towards action or decision:
The Dare to Decide Map
- Accept you’re at a crossroads. Acknowledge where you are and how you got there.
- Choose your character for the new adventure and what desires and conflicts you’ll encounter.
- Set your compass and take inventory of the identity, experience, passions and values that will help you on the journey.
- Prepare for the journey. Assess the resources you have to help you make the wisest choice.
- Make the decision, then take action. You can always re-evaluate later on.
When you’re at a crossroads, analysis paralysis will keep you stuck.
Many things can hold you back from making a decision you feel confident and excited to commit to. Fear of failure. Calamady. Pressure from others. Grief over change. Or a personality that needs time to process and think.
If you need more time and a framework for processing a new direction God is leading in your life, read my book Dare to Decide: Discovering Peace, Clarity and Courage at Life’s Crossroads. I’ve been told it’s like sitting down for coffee with me, hearing my heart, and gleaning practical wisdom.
Don’t stay stuck–more good things in store for you.
