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Article published on LinkedIn.com: Feb. 4, 2024
31_Decision_making_En.pdf
WHAT ABOUT THE DECISION-MAKING TWISTS AND TURNS?
Life is full of choices. Some are easy, like, what should we
eat for dinner, and others, which have more consequences, for
example, choosing a career.
No matter how important a decision is, good decision-making
skills come in handy in life, especially if you're feeling
undecided about something and feeling discouraged.
People make decisions throughout their day, most of which are
simple and don't require much thought.
However, when situations are more complicated and have
longer-term repercussions, it is easy to feel uncertain or
hesitant.
Facing a difficult decision, it is normal to feel overwhelmed,
stressed, or anxious, nervous, pressured, confused,
distracted, tired.
Because indecision can have a negative impact on how you feel,
it's important to learn strategies for making positive
decisions in difficult situations.
Although you can't guarantee the outcome of a decision until
you make it, you can at least know that you've thought about
it very carefully.
Here are some tips to help you in your decision-making
process:
1.
Don't let stress get the better of you:
it's easy to feel stressed and anxious when faced with a tough
choice. You may tend to rush decisions without thinking about
them or avoid making a decision because stress has discouraged
you.
If you're feeling anxious about a decision, try to
manage your stress so that it doesn't cloud your thinking. To
do this, go for a walk or go out with friends.
2.
Give yourself some time, if possible:
it's hard to think clearly under pressure, and sometimes your
first idea isn't always the best one.
Give yourself the chance to sit on a problem for a
while, so you can work through your options and feel confident
about the course of action you choose.
3.
Weigh the pros and cons:
when
faced with an important decision, we sometimes lose sight of
the big picture. Write a list of the pros and cons of each
course of action, then compare them.
Sometimes the downsides aren't as bad as we imagine
them to be, or the upsides can make your options more obvious.
4.
Think about your goals and values:
it is important to be true to ourselves and what we value in
life.
When you factor into a decision on the things that are
important to you, the best option may become apparent. Either
way, you're more likely to end up with a result that works for
you.
5.
Consider all the possibilities:
making a decision can lead to several different outcomes and
not all of them are necessarily obvious.
When considering each option, don't only list the
positives and negatives; write down all the likely
consequences.
6.
Talk about it:
it can be
helpful to get another person's perspective on your issue,
especially if they've faced a similar decision in their own
life.
7.
Note: If you feel as if you're
on an emotional roller coaster, it can be helpful to keep
track of your decision-making process and feelings by writing
them down.
8.
Plan how you will tell others:
if you think someone may have a bad response to your decision,
consider what their reaction is likely to be. Put yourself in
their shoes to help you find a good way to handle the
situation.
9.
Rethink your possibilities:
if you're under a lot of pressure on a decision, or if there
are new factors to consider, re-examine your options. You
might decide that your initial decision be still the best, but
you give yourself the option to change course.
If a decision no longer seems appropriate to you,
repeat the steps to find a better solution.
If you are going through a difficult time:
If you're feeling overwhelmed by negative feelings
because you're facing a tough decision, it's important to take
care of yourself. Take time to relax or do something you
enjoy.
If you find that your indecision about a situation is
affecting the way you live day to day, it's a good idea to
talk to someone you trust or see a counselor. They will be
able to help you through the decision-making process and guide
you through different strategies.
There are far more details to assimilate and cannot be
expended in a simple article. I suggest that you explore
chapter 9 of the book
« My success is your success. »
Your smile has the power to light up a room and connect with
people without saying a single word. They say a picture is
worth a thousand words, but I like to say a smile is worth a
thousand words. Happiness, optimism, and love to name a few.
Many things can be resolved with a smile. You can break down
barriers, automatically put someone at ease, express your
cheerful mood, convey confidence, and thousands of other
actions, feelings, and emotions.
Not only can a smile improve your mood and that of those
around you, but it also increases your likability and has
tremendous health benefits.
Many see smiling simply as an involuntary response to things
that bring you joy or make you laugh.
While this is certainly true, it overlooks an important point:
smiling can be a conscious and intentional choice.
Whether your smile is genuine or not, it can affect your body
and mind in a variety of positive ways, providing benefits for
your health, your mood, and even the mood of those around you.
1.
Smiling helps you live longer:
perhaps the most compelling reason to smile is that it can
lengthen your overall lifespan. Overall, happy people seem to
enjoy better health and longevity.
Maintaining a happy and positive mood can be an important part
of a healthy lifestyle.
2.
Smiling reduces stress:
stress can permeate our entire being and it can really show on
our faces. Smiling not only helps prevent us from looking
tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed, not only it can actually
help reduce stress.
Believe it or not, smiling can reduce stress even if you don't
feel like smiling or even if you fake it with an insincere
smile.
When you're stressed, take time to smile. You and those around
you will reap the benefits.
3.
A smile lifts the mood:
next time you're feeling down, try smiling. Chances are your
mood will improve.
The physical act of smiling actually activates pathways in
your brain that influence your emotional state, which means
that by adopting a happy facial expression, you can
«
trigger
»
your mind into a state of happiness.
This is true whether your smile is real or not. Think of
smiling as a natural antidepressant.
4.
Smiling is contagious:
how many times have you heard that a smile has the power to
light up the room?
While it's certainly a beautiful sentiment, it contains a hint
of truth. Smiling not only has the ability to uplift your
mood, but it can also change other people's moods for the
better.
Your brain automatically notices and interprets other people's
facial expressions and sometimes you can even imitate them.
This means you might notice someone else's smile and
unknowingly smile at you.
Yes, it's scientifically proven that smiling is contagious.
5.
Smiling stimulates the immune system:
smiling can also improve your overall health by helping your
immune system work more efficiently.
It is believed that when you smile, immune function improves
because you are more relaxed due to the release of certain
neurotransmitters.
6.
Smiling can lower blood pressure:
smiling could have a beneficial impact on your blood pressure.
Laughter specifically appears to lower blood pressure, after
causing an initial increase in heart rate and breathing.
7.
Smiling decrease pain:
studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, other
natural pain relievers, and serotonin.
Together, these brain chemicals make us feel great, from, head
to toe.
Not only do they improve your mood, but they also relax your
body and reduce physical pain.
Smiling is natural medicine.
8.
Smiling makes you attractive:
we are naturally drawn, to smiling people.
While harsher or negative, facial expressions like frowns and
grimaces work in the opposite direction, effectively repelling
people, smiling is seen as more attractive, and people may
even assume you have more positive personality traits, if you
smile.
Not only smiling can make you more attractive, not only it can
also make you look younger.
The muscles we use to smile also lift the face making a person
look younger.
So instead of opting for a facelift, try smiling throughout
the day, you'll look younger and feel better.
9.
A smile suggests success:
research has shown that people who smile regularly appear more
confident are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to
be approached.
Try to smile at meetings and business appointments. You might
find that people react differently to you.
Remember that smiling can influence your feelings of
positivity, even if it seems unnatural or forced.
Whether your smile is genuine or not, it always sends the
message that life is beautiful to your brain and, ultimately,
to the rest of your body!
There are far more details to assimilate and cannot be
expended in a simple article. I suggest that you explore
chapter 10 of the book
« My success is your success. »
How someone approaches ethics is fundamentally tied, to whom
they are as a person. If a person has good morals, it is
because of his virtues and his ethics.
Whether you are a parent, spouse, student, small business
owner, worker, civil servant, politician, or professional such
as a doctor, engineer, lawyer, good character is essential to
successful relationships.
To understand what constitutes a moral character, you must
understand the meaning of ethics, which involves moral
principles or values.
The decisions you make on a daily basis can have a positive or
negative impact on many people.
To develop good moral character, an individual must analyze
the consequences of exercising bad moral character and perform
actions that are ethically correct.
If there is no trust between you and your family, at work or
socially, miscommunication, dishonesty, conflicts can arise.
An untrustworthy person keeps you in doubt while a trustworthy
person reassures you.
For example, if a person lies about a particular situation, it
puts you on your guard and soon you find yourself doubting
everything they say. Because of his dishonesty, you are now
questioning his moral character.
This also applies to how you treat others. If someone doesn't
trust you, they probably won't, for example, commit to doing
business with you.
If you demonstrate a sound moral character towards your
relationships and treat them with respect, you are likely to
retain their respect and high regard. The people who talk to
you should also have these traits. For example, if your ethics
are sound, but an employee disrespect or lies to your
customers, it will be difficult to build customer loyalty.
Specifically, getting customers through decent prices and
quality products can be easy, but how you serve those
customers will determine whether you'll retain them. This also
applies to employees, your family, and friends. If you treat
them well, they are more likely to stay with you.
Individuals with a strong moral character have a high degree
of certainty about their actions. They have, in mind, a
clearly recognized objective and the methods necessary to
achieve these objectives. Anxiety and nervousness are concepts
that are foreign to them.
Moreover, people with a strong moral character chart their own
path to success and never waste time contemplating unnecessary
topics. Such individuals do not invent excuses to cover their
backs.
A strong moral character is also instrumental in developing
effective leadership qualities. They are visionary with a «
can do » attitude.
They tackle the impossible, face problems and obstacles
head-on, and make decisions that position them successfully
for the future.
Humility is another trait possessed by people with strong
moral character. They put aside their egos and self-interests
and strive to work in ways that achieve the highest good for
all.
Even if they fail or partially succeed in their endeavor, they
are not deterred from achieving their goals and instead pursue
them with even greater vigor.
People with strong moral character also become positive role
models for others. They set the benchmark for excellence and
their lives become an inspiration to others.
This is so because those who form a strong moral character
conscientiously adhere to moral values through their actions
and personal conduct and do not resort to a pompous and
contrived style.
Simply put, moral character is perhaps best described as the
set of dispositions or characteristics of a person that play a
role in how the person, morally speaking, behaves. Moral
character is therefore the edifice on which an individual's
personal identity rests.
It is our moral character that determines who we are and what
actions we take.
You might wonder why it's not always easy to admit a mistake,
to persevere in difficult times, or to keep every promise you
make. It is not always comfortable to convey the hard truth or
to defend one's convictions.
In the short term, it may not be beneficial to distance
yourself from a questionable relationship. But, in the long
run, doing the right thing is the clear path to success and
happiness. Morality matters!
There are far more details to assimilate and cannot be
expended in a simple article. I suggest that you explore
chapter 12 of the book
« My success is your success. »
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This book is the result of forty years
of experience acquired with local and international
organizations and companies and during consultancy,
change management, transition and marketing services.
This 404-page
personal development book was published by WebTech
Publishing and is available online in English, North
American French and European versions. For more
information and to view the flip book, visit
webtechPublishing.
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About the Author
Decelles
Other publications:
ISO Pour Tous
– Le manuel
d’information ISO – Le guide de préparation ISO – La
gestion du changement en affaires – La gestion de
projet d’affaires – Le
changement POUR TOUS –
Change your future,
now! – Mon succès est votre succès.
Press Contact
Germain Decelles, o.s.j.
WebTech Management et Publication Incorpored
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