Are you torn between to path options? Or do you tend to sit on the fence for a while before you decide on a direction?
I often would 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.
“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 a 7-step checklist for guiding my thoughts towards action or decision:
The Dare to Decide Map
- Choose your character – the person you are and want to become
- Clarify your dream, desire, destination and deadline
- Collect relevant intel from your facts, feelings, Father and friends
- Consider your priorities such as your purpose, values and commitments
- Convey your preference by leaning into a choice for a set time
- Call the decision and eliminate other options
- Create momentum by choosing a focused action for 30 or 90 days
How might this help your analysis paralysis?
In this video I walk you through each step.
This isn’t so much a step-by-step guide to complete – because everyone’s brains work through information a little differently. Instead, it’s a way to find out where you are and what your mind wants to sort out before it takes action. Sometimes you can just land on one spot, then feel confident to make your decision.
You can nab your Dare to Decide Map with thought-provoking questions here.
Based on what you’ve seen so far, which step on the map would you find it most helpful to explore in a decision you have to make?
