This month, as you know, we are focusing on choices. We’ve looked at what it means to give vs. teach, we’ve weighed cost against value, and we’ve taken stock of fears that influence our decision-making. Today we’re jumping to the end – more specifically imagining what we might say to ourselves at the conclusion of an event or any given situation.
When we are faced with challenging decisions, we tend to weigh out our options, make lists of pros and cons, and solicit the opinions of others to help us make our decisions. For the most part, these tactics are useful and serve us fairly well. Sometimes the decisions we make are safe and sometimes they are riskier.
Today I would like to offer you one more tactic to aid in your decision-making and the evaluation of choices.
Fast-forward, in your mind, to the end of a situation or the conclusion of a choice you need to make, would you rather say “I wish I had…” or would you rather say “I’m glad I did…”.
Being glad you did is often more satisfying than wishing you had. Even if whatever it was you decided to do didn’t work out the way you anticipated, being glad you chose that path is often more fulfilling than wishing you had tried, regardless of the outcome.
So when you’re faced with your next decision, soon after finishing this Thought Partner Friday, add this new decision-making filter to your repertoire with the others:
Will I wish I had or will I be glad I did?
