Everyone makes bad choices in life sometimes. However, there is a way to stop making bad choices. Always start your decision-making process with the question, “What’s the worst thing that could happen if I take that action?”
Explore All Alternatives
When you ask yourself the question about what the worst thing that can happen is, explore every single alternative. Answer that question for each way that you can accomplish the task or do the thing that you are choosing. For example, if you are trying to choose whether to quit your job to start a business, write down the answer for both quitting and not quitting so that you can explore all your options.
How Will You Feel If You Do Nothing?
What if you did nothing and everything stayed just like it is right now? What is the worst thing that can happen if you make that choice? Writing that down is also crucial because there are often severe consequences for maintaining the status quo. For example, if you are exploring whether to get the surgery that your doctor recommended, what is the worst that can happen if you do nothing, get the surgery, or choose another alternative?
Write Down the “What-If’s”
For each decision point along the way for any one choice, there are many different reactions to it that occur. Writing down all the what-ifs that you can think of can help you explore potential alternatives, as well as drill down your decision point
Look at Your History
One way to make good choices about things that matter is to look at your history to see if you can learn from a similar decision you made.
Know Who You Are
When you are trying to be courageous, it is essential to know what you stand for, what your values are, and who you are. Ensure that no contradictions or hypocrisies are getting in your way of success.
Do Your Due Diligence
Research every single path that you can take well. Do not take an offer without knowing for sure whether it is a good one or not. It is not as scary making choices when you have done the homework needed to ensure your facts are right.
Is the Fear Really Protecting You?
When you are feeling fear about anything, it helps to determine if that fear is really helpful or not.
The critical fact to know is that the worst thing rarely happens. Study the situation so that you know the real risk that you face when you decide on a course of action. When you know the facts, it is easier to move forward in the conviction that you are doing the right thing. Because for the most part, the reactions will not be a surprise to you.
Mode of Thought
Mode of Thought 