Decision is a powerful force. In a fraction of a second, the world as you know it, your entire life, can change. This can be an incredibly heavy thought, as it comes with great responsibility, but even when the truth can surprise you at times; it can also surprise you with possibilities. Whether you do something or not do something, the fact is that you have made up your mind. However, the decision to do nothing is still a decision. Think about your job for a moment. Why are you there Do you pay the bills? Well think about it. You are there because you choose to be there. Maybe you are there, because you really like your job. Or maybe you are there, because you have not made the decision to leave or you have not decided what else you want from life. However, you are there because you choose to be there. If you are not satisfied with your work, I am not suggesting that you leave without a plan. I am simply saying that if you are not satisfied with your current circumstances, you have the ability to make changes. If you are repressing some higher desire or higher calling, it is because you choose to do so. You may be able to justify where you are in life in a hundred different ways, but the truth is that you are where you are because of the choices you have made and are currently making.

Our success in life, our level of satisfaction, is governed by our ability to make the right decisions and make them quickly. Many of us think that we are not good decision makers, but you may not have practice. The vast majority of people go with the flow and go with the flow wherever it leads. Unless you exercise your true decision-making muscle, it will go soft. It takes a strong will, determination, and belief in yourself, but you must make the decisions that will put you on the right path, for yourself and no one else.

Decision making is something we have to develop on our own. As important as decision making is in our lives, it is sadly not taught often in school. Of course, learning math, science, history, culture, and other subjects is of great value, but if you don’t learn to make decisions, where will you go in life? Knowing how to make the right decisions will help you make better use of your knowledge on other topics.

Making decisions with confidence is also vitally important. Becoming a confident and effective decision maker is one of the surest ways to achieve your goals. However, you must stick to your decisions. You have to be willing to carry them out. You also need to be aware of your surroundings and be able to process that feedback from your surroundings, which will keep you on track. Adjustments will be necessary, but when you are prepared, informed and confident from the start, your decisions will be based on a solid foundation. Your success in life ultimately comes down to your ability to make and support decisions.

You will also follow a straighter and more direct course if you are an efficient decision maker, with fewer potholes and unnecessary detours along the way. When you realize that you are making decisions with confidence, you will immediately become a confident person. When it comes to decisions, winners make them fast, while losers make them slowly. You have to build your muscle for decision making and it takes time to build it, but the payoff is well worth the effort. Each and every day we are faced with decisions. What to do and what not to do? What to say or what not to say? Where to go or not to go? What to buy or not to buy? Should I quit smoking or should I stay? You say it. You are making decisions all day, every day, of varying magnitude. Some may be more aware of this than others. Some of you may not realize this at all, as some decisions become automatic, pre-programmed. The safer you are, the better. However, before you can make these decisions, you must know what you want.

The problem is that many people do not know what they want. The result is indecision. Think about it. How is it possible that you can make a decision when you really don’t know what you want? Have you ever been haunted by a decision? In all likelihood, that was because deep down you didn’t know what you wanted. You couldn’t make up your mind because, well, you didn’t know the answer. You were really in conflict. When you have defined what you want and when your vision is clear, your decisions will be informed. You will be fast and, most importantly, you will be right.

When you’ve taken the time to focus on what you want out of life, every decision you make, big or small, will be geared toward helping you achieve your goals. If you have not created a clear picture in your mind of what you want, you will find yourself unable to make quick and informed decisions. Or worse, you will make uninformed decisions that, without your knowing it at the time, will have negative repercussions that will not be realized until much later. You may have a hard time bouncing back from these decisions as they will lead you in a direction that requires more time and effort to get back on track.

Now there are things to be gained in life by making mistakes, and I can assure you that we all make them and will continue to make more of them as we go along. I’m not talking about the fear of making an irrecoverable mistake. First, you can always recover and you will be richer with the experience. However, also keep in mind that I am pointing out that if you are not aware of what you want, you will find yourself wandering aimlessly. Not knowing what you want, or having the impression that wanting something is unrealistic, will greatly increase your chances of failure. Circumstances can make you indecisive. In reality, you may feel so overwhelmed that you have effectively become unable to make the decisions that, if made correctly, would vastly improve your life. Don’t become a victim of such thinking. Visualize, plan and act.