4 questions to ask before making your next life decision
Big life decisions can feel daunting.
It can feel like everything depends on the decision you make: college, first job, marriage, home ownership, pet ownership, children, promotions, dream jobs. The list goes on.
So how can you make the right choice for you? Going to a big college may work for others but it might not work for you. You may be thinking, “How would I know if it works for me until I’ve done it?”
There are some key questions you can ask yourself to help inform your decisions, and remember, no decision is ever an end all be all. Be compassionate with yourself throughout the process. You are the expert on your life.
What did you enjoy doing as a kid (before you took anyone’s opinion into consideration)? Did you run around, play with blocks, imagine things? What made you excited as a kid?
Asking this question can help you source your decision from when you were YOU, without the pressures from your parents or society. Noting how you played can help you choose a career or major that may suit your true self.
2. Who do you look up to and why?
When you can figure out who you look up to and why you look up to them, you can start to see your values come into play. For example, if I look up to my best friend because she is so confident around people, I may value self confidence and other people. If I look up to Tony Robbins for his way to tell the truth, I value truth and honesty.
3. What do you complain about and why?
Do you complain about the person littering, or how your friend was late yet again? Do you complain about your homework? This is another way to determine what you value. If you complain about littering, you may care about the environment and cleanliness. If you complain about your friend being late, you value your time. If you complain about homework, you value the way you spend your time. Try to go deep on this. Look at what you truly value in your life.
4. How do you want to feel at college, the new job, or in this new phase of your life?
Use three words to describe how you want to feel in your life. Many times we get so caught up in the responsibilities and accomplishments we forget about how we want to feel when it’s all said and done. When we are clear about how we want to feel in our life, we can put the systems in place to create that feeling for ourselves while also getting clear about the things that will create these feelings for us.
Remember, this decision and any decision is never the end all be all. There are always opportunities to test and discover what you like and value by exposing yourself to new situations. If you’re feeling stressed about an upcoming decision, talking about your options is always a good solution.
Contact our team at Truth Tribe to sort out what would be the best decision for you.