Make that decision now!

Decision making is a tough job for almost everybody. As a callow youth I had the difficult task of making a choice between two attractive job offers. Those were the days when we did not have to hunt for jobs.

They were waiting for us. There were many jobs but only a few takers.

However, today finding a job is one of the most difficult tasks, second only to finding a prestigious school for your son or daughter.

After finding a job I had to decide on a marriage partner. That too I managed to decide easily. Today's young men and women, however, keep on postponing marriage because they are unable to make a choice due to many reasons. Making a wise choice in selecting a suitable job and picking the right partner are like coming to the crossroads in our lives. Sometimes, when we reach the crossroads, we do not know which way to go. On some occasions, we go along the wrong path only to come back to the crossroads once again, wasting our time and energy.

Why cannot we make the right decision at once? What prevents us from making wise decisions? Is there any technique in decision making? These questions baffle us most of the time. However, nobody seems to have spoken the last word on this subject. Although there are many self-help books, I have not come across any foolproof formula for decision making.

A lot of mental anguish can be avoided if we marshal the facts before making a decision. However, just gathering facts will not solve our problems. I remember the words of a former Army Commander who said: "Before you attack the enemy, draw up an estimate of the situation." In other words, what he meant was that we must know what we really want. For example, if you want to have some degree of job security and an old age pension, you will have to accept a government job. However, if you wish to climb the corporate ladder and enjoy the benefits of a higher salary and other perks, you will have to join the private sector. Everything depends on what we want.

Sigmund Freud : Consider all the pros and cons

When we are unable to decide we usually consult others. Although it is good to consult another person, there are certain risks involved in it. If the consultant happens to be biased, he will give us the wrong decision. Another danger is that different consultants will have diverse approaches and decisions. Such decisions will make us more and more confused.

Once, Sigmund Freud was asked how to take important decisions. "I can only tell you of my personal experience," Freud replied. "When making a decision of minor importance, I have always found it advantageous to consider all the pros and cons. In vital matters, however, such as the choice of a mate or a profession, the decision should come from within ourselves. In the important decisions of our personal life, we should be governed, I think, by the deep inner needs of our nature." In other words, before making a decision, we must consult our feelings.

When you make the right decision, you feel a sense of satisfaction.

For example, when I decided to leave my permanent and pensionable post in a government department to become a journalist, some of my friends and elders condemned my decision. But I did not care because to be a journalist was more important than becoming a bureaucrat!

Sometimes we tend to postpone a decision. This is wise in certain situations. When we cannot take a decision immediately, we must wait for the right time. In other words, we have to postpone the decision to gain time to reconsider our options. This is thousand times better than making a wrong decision and repenting later. By holding ourselves back, we give complicated situations a chance to work themselves out.

We are reluctant to make decisions sometimes because it may be painful for us to do so. Our decision can adversely affect one or more people.

We must never try to answer our questions with monosyllables - yes or no - because the situation may demand a better decision. If we take a wrong decision, we should be able to change it without any hesitation.

When we take really bad decisions in life, we stand to gain and also to lose. We cannot gain everything in life; we are bound to lose something in the process. What is needed most is courage in making decisions. In fact, Andrew Jackson once said, "One man with courage makes a majority."

Decision making is a particular kind of reasoning that involves making choices and sometimes taking risks. However, decision making can be relatively simple when we have to decide whether to catch a bus or a train to reach office. Decision-making during a war can be a highly complex process.

When making any decision we have to weigh the costs against the benefits. If you decide to go to office by train, you will arrive at your destination quite fresh in mind and body. If you travel by bus, the conductor is sure to tax your patience!

More serious decisions will have far-reaching consequences. If you look at it closely, in any decision-making there are bound to be a degree of uncertainty or risk. The decision maker has to decide whether the risk is worth taking.