I recently spoke to a group about decision-making. At the beginning of the talk, I asked people to get into groups of two and discuss a time when they had made a good decision and why they thought they had been able to make such a good decision. I partnered with one of the participants as we were an even-numbered group.
My partner made a very interesting observation. He told me about his process of goal setting and how important it was to set goals before making decisions. He also told me an about an encounter that he had with a teenager that illustrated his point. Here’s the story, as I remember it (with his permission):
This young man wanted to be an engineer but he told me he wasn’t going to get into a good enough school to be able to pursue his dream.
I asked why he wasn’t going to get into a good school.
“My grades aren’t good enough.”
“Why aren’t your grades good enough?”
“I guess I don’t spend enough time studying.”
“Why don’t you spend enough time studying?”
“Because I work too many hours.”
“Why do you work so many hours?”
“Because I need money to buy gas and pay for insurance for my car.”
“Why do you need a car?”
“To get to work.”
How many times do we do the same thing? Sabotage a bigger dream or goal because we are not making smaller decisions that lead us in that direction.
I can think of an example today. I spent an hour at a craft store instead of writing. While I had been meaning to get to that store for a while, it didn’t serve my larger goal of increasing my writing time. I could have gone to the store with my son on a different day and it would have been a fun adventure. Instead, I went during the precious few hours during the week that my son is at preschool and I could have been writing.
I recognize that I missed a small opportunity today. Luckily, I can make a different decision tonight. Writing first—then, if there’s time, I’ll do some of the other things on my to do list.
What’s your dream (goal)?
What decisions did you make today that served that dream?
If you made decisions today that did not serve that dream, what decisions can you make tomorrow that will bring you a step closer to that dream?