Making Decisions

Making your own decisions empowers you to take charge of your life—and your success! The older you get, the more important your decisions become. In high school, for example, you begin to make key decisions about your education and career paths.

You might be afraid of making the wrong decision. That's normal! The important thing is that you don't get bogged down in your fear. Realize that no decision is perfect and that all choices are made with at least some degree of uncertainty. Mistakes lead to the best lessons, so take advantage of them. Find out what went wrong and remember it for future decisions.

Here are some tips to help you make good decisions.

1. Define the issue.

   Examine your issue or problem thoroughly. Ask yourself what you want to achieve and write down your goal. For example, “Decide what I want to do after school this term.”

2. Reevaluate the situation.

   Ask yourself if you need to take action in order to achieve your goal, or if the problem will resolve itself with time. Don’t make unnecessary decisions; sometimes the best decision is to simply do nothing for the time being. However, most high school students (especially seniors) face major decisions that require action.

3. Gather information.

   Do some detective work to find out what your options are. Gather information and seek advice from people who are knowledgeable about your issue. Use all available resources: the library, Internet, public records—any source of facts about your issue. The best way to make decisions is by becoming an expert on your subject.

4. Brainstorm options.

   Think of a bunch of different solutions to your problem. Write down anything that comes to mind—at this point any idea is a good idea, even one that sounds unreasonable or far-fetched. Avoid judging your ideas just yet. For example, “Play basketball; try out for the school play; volunteer at an animal shelter; get a part-time job; audition for the next American Idol.” (Remember, no judging!)

5. Evaluate your options.

   Now test each idea by listing its pros and cons. Write down the idea as if it were already a decision. Now draw two columns underneath and write down all of the positive effects (pros) and negative effects (cons) of your decision. Conduct further research if you need to.

Example: “Try out for the school play.”

Pros

• Always wanted to act but too shy to go for it. Trying out will boost confidence.
• Will finally get to see if I like performing on stage.
• Director did a great job last year. Seems nice to work with.
• Will learn some acting skills. Good for future acting or just speaking in public.
• Good experience to put on college application.

Cons

• None of my friends are trying out for the play. Most are doing sports instead.
• Never did any acting before. Probably won’t get a big part.
• Nervous about auditioning. (Find out if I have to audition in front of other students or just the director.)
• Could get stage fright on opening night and bomb.

6. Choose the best option.

   Look at your table of pros and cons and your decision should now become clearer. Remember that some outcomes have greater priority than others, so the number of items in each column does not necessarily indicate whether or not you should move forward with the decision. If necessary, be creative and combine the best features of several different options to make a new plan—one that works for you.

7. Put your decision to work.

   A good decision means nothing unless it’s put to use! Establish an action plan for implementing your decision, with specific steps and dates. Be sure to inform the important people in your life of your decision.

8. Critically evaluate your decision every now and then.

   If you don’t like how things are progressing, try something else.