How to make tricky decisions

The average person makes 17,000 decisions a day. Most of those are easy, like what to have for breakfast or what time to leave for work, but some are harder.

Hard ones usually involve:

• Infrequent or unknown situations that you aren't confident about (like buying your first house or hiring for a new position)

• Situations where there are no superior options (where every alternative has a downside)

• Scary decisions with a high perceived risk (like a significant financial or personal commitment that could go wrong.)

• Milestone choices that change your thoughts about yourself (like personal development or a job change.)

You'll know it's a tricky decision when generic Google searches are unhelpful and no one can decide for you.

I've been making a few of these lately as my business matures. I've had to constantly challenge the little whisper in my head saying, "Who do you think you are, Alicia McKay? This is madness!"

Every tricky decision is unique and has its own considerations, and the more critical it is, the less likely there is to be a 'right' answer. But there is a handy trick you can use to be more confident in your choices and keep you moving forward with your life plan.

You need to tap into your compass.

You know the one. Maybe you think of it as your gut or your integrity. It's why no one else can give you the answer - because you're the only one with it. 

Tapping into your personal compass means asking yourself questions like:

• Why do you care about this?

• What is the broader significance of this decision for you?

• What would living your values look like?

And most importantly...

• What failure could you live with if you knew you'd done the right thing?

Then, if you get it 'wrong' or it blows up in your face, you can live with the consequences. No level of safety, sensibility or logic can give you that. Nor can Google.

Rock on.

A