Making a decision can be scary. What if you don’t make the right one? What if that decision affects others badly? What if the decision cannot be reversed or costs you lost time and money?

There seems to be very few people who are comfortable with making decisions. I am afraid to make decisions at times too but I find that when I make a decision the stress and uncertainty vanishes and I am able to move forward.

For those times I am paralyzed with fear in making a decision I have to run through a few steps to get to the point where I feel safe. I will share them with you momentarily. But first I’d like to talk about the kinds of decisions we need/want to make and why.

I talk about success a lot on this website. I am a success advocate and want everyone to experience it. In fact I think most people do experience it, but don’t give it much thought or credibility. To be successful you have to make a decision. Whether it’s finishing a degree, starting a new career, getting a new job, getting your kids under control, or saving for a new home, car, or vacation, a decision is required.

Sometimes you have harder things you need to get done like start a business, start a relationship, or run for president of the PTA (do they still call it that).

So how do you make a decision that you can live with and see through to the end and feel successful? I could easily go into some lengthy algorithm but the results would just leave you worse off than if you had never ventured out of your comfort zone.

To keep it simple I am going to outline a three step process for making a decision.

1. Evaluate
2. Write
3. Verbalize

Sounds too simple right? Well it is, but each step requires thought and sub steps to move to the next phase.

Step One – Evaluate
In this step you are simply thinking about what you want the end result to be. You haven’t made a commitment to take further action at this stage. This is easy to do, in fact this is the step most people do but that is about as far as it goes. It really amounts to dreaming, hoping, or wishing for a thing. If you can think about what you want your end result to be you are on the right track, but you must take it a step further.

Step Two – Write
In this step you have to physically get involved. Go and grab a piece of paper and a pen then sit down and begin writing. The first thing you want to write is your dreams, hope, or wish in one phrase or sentence. Now that you have written out your end result it is now a goal.

Now you want to take your written goal and begin writing all the reason why you want to do it and the steps you need to take to reach your goal. After you have exhausted all the possibilities begin writing all the reason you can’t reach your goal and obstacles you your way. Look at both lists and determine if reaching your goal is worth the effort and risk. If it is worth pursuing you are ready to move on to the next step.

Step Three – Verbalize
This last step is crucial to your success. You have dreamed the dream in step one. In step two you have written the dream down on paper and evaluated the pros and cons. Now in step three you will use your voice and say what you want out loud.

When you speak what you want things begin to come together for you. You will meet the right people and the right opportunities come to you.

With these three easy steps you should be able to make decision rapidly and easily. You will never have to worry about making the wrong decision again because you will be firmly in control; in the driver’s seat. The great thing about decisions is you can start over again or make modifications if it doesn’t work out exactly like you planned.

What decisions have you been putting off lately? Are you ready to dive in and start making the best decisions now?

Samantha Gregory

Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.

Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.

She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.