To Be Or Not To Be": Being Decisive

This or that? Right or left? To go or not to?To be or not to be?! Our life is filled with confusion and dilemma and is nothing but the culmination of choices we make.

"Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all."-Brian Tracy

Being decisive means to have or show the ability to make clear and firm decisions promptly and effectively. Being resolute enables a person to undertake action without any hesitation or a shadow of a doubt. He has made his choice; whether right or wrong is a different scenario. Acting responsibly and making a call is more important.

The fear of failure and committing mistakes is what keeps most of us from being decisive. Each mistake has a price to pay, and sweet are the consequences of adversity. You will only learn to make better and thoughtful decisions next time. If you keep contemplating what could go wrong, what if it does go wrong; you will remain contemplating for life!

This has happened so many times: You are riding a bike on a busy road and think of overtaking the slow rickshaw ahead, unable to decide whether or not to overtake, you remain lingering to the right and left of it, never actually crossing it!

Sometimes we are not confident enough to be decisive and rely on others to make choices for us. For example, when you are invited to a party, you call up and consult all your friends. Even what you should wear for that party is a decision of your friend. But this is a petty situation. Imagine if an on-duty doctor in an operation theatre would rely on someone else to determine her next action. Wouldn't be a wise call to take, isn't it?

Successful individuals eliminate the petty scenarios of daily life that require running the brain to make a choice, saving energy to make more important decisions. Mark Zuckerberg wears similar clothes daily, eliminating the brain work and waste of time deciding 'what should I wear today?'.

Being decisive is not being hasty. It is all about taking a call with incomplete information available to you. While making major decisions, take your time to think about all the information you have. Jot down the pros and cons of what you think doing is correct. Consider the future consequences and determine what do thoughtfully.

Many of us seek perfection, in probably a product they are buying, a project they are working on, or an idea they are considering to employ. Finding perfection isn't easy, and choosing it at the loss of time might not be wise. Sometimes it is necessary to settle for something that is good enough to keep advancing.

You wouldn’t keep solving just one tricky yet impressive question in the exam when you have limited time. If you are unable to solve it, just skip it and move to the next one.

Decisiveness is not only an inherent aptitude, but also a skill that each one can develop.

"Hesitation only enlarges, magnifies the fear. Take action promptly. Be decisive."