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04 Jun 2008
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Most of us love to play the ‘what if’ game. What if I take the exam and failed? What if I my new job is worse than my present job? What if I asked her out and she rejects me?
The fact is the ‘what ifs’ that we played in our life is the major reason of procrastination. We delay decision making and ended up not making one. Countless of opportunities slipped away from our life because we play this game. We get too comfortable with the present and refuse to make decisions that will make way for changes. Sooner or later, we find ourselves stuck – not happy with our present yet don’t know how to move forward. Then only all the memories of missed opportunities came into our mind and we start to play the “what if’ game again. What if I took the job offer six months ago, will my life be better? What if I took the exam last month, will I be promoted instead of my colleague? It is pointless to cry over spilled milk – the missed opportunities.
The key is to take action, to make a decision. When opportunity knocks on your door, analyse it (but don’t over analysed) and make decision. If you decide to grab the opportunity, just do it, don’t wait. Opportunity don’t wait for anyone.
If decide to pass the opportunity, stop thinking about it. Don’t start the what if game. Once you make a decision, stop thinking about it. If you decide to let go, then just let it go.
The next key after decision making, which I feel is as equally important as decision making is managing your decision. This is also a new concept to me that I have learnt from John Maxwell, the leadership guru. Too many times, we emphasized too much on decision making, engaged in overloaded thinking and stuck in the what if game. However, it is also important that you manage your decision. Making a good decision is a great headstart but if you do not manage your decision with the right actions and expectations, it might turn out to be a wrong decision after all! In other words, a seemingly good decision can turned out to be a bad decision and vice versa.
I would like to quote a statement to show the relevance of decision making and decision managing.I can remember the statement very well but I have forgotten the source ( If not mistaken is by Zig Ziglar). The brackets are added by me to show the importance of managing decision.
“If you have married the right person (good decision making) but you treat her wrongly (bad decision managing), you might ended up marrying the wrong person. If you have married the wrong person (bad decision managing) but you treat her right (good decision managing), you might ended up marrying the right person after all!”
My point is if you embrace the attitude of decision managing, the burden of making the right decision will be taken away from you, forever. Of course, you need some courage and faith. Courage that you will make the best of whatever experience that will come along the way from your decision. Faith that everything that happens will always be in favour of you. Good experience makes you happy. Bad experience teaches you a lesson. Be grateful anyway.
I guess that’s the only way we can kiss the what if game goodbye and start taking charge of our life. Let courage, not fear rules your life. Let faith, not doubts fills your life.
