The power of deciding

As part of my business, I offer free strategy calls to potential clients. And through this window into the internal challenges that many mid-career professionals are facing, I see a very consistent behavior pattern: a million tiny cuts through indecision. The individuals I speak with are unhappy where they are but most of them are not yet ready to commit to action that will help them mentally move forward. Because of this, they struggle with the same questions and uncertainties over and over and over. It consumes a lot of time and energy.

Just under two years ago, at the beginning of 2017, I faced a similar mental crossroads. I enjoyed my work leading two different teams at a Fortune 200 Company, but I longed to have a broader impact as an entrepreneur. I also dreamed of traveling for more than two weeks at a time and didn’t want to kick that can down the road until traditional retirement age, recognizing that nothing in life is guaranteed. I’d had these thoughts for a while, but I was finally ready to do something about it.

Did I quit my job and book a plane ticket? No. Did I form an LLC or register a url? Nope. I just decided. I decided that I would leave my AVP position at the beginning of 2018; travel with my husband for a few months, assuming the timing of his career transition aligned; and use the work-free inspiration period to brainstorm the launch of my coaching business. I also allowed myself the possibility of changing my mind.

But deciding proved extremely powerful. It allowed me to let go of the “should I or shouldn’t I?” mental angst about the future and truly focus on the present. It allowed me to be a more effective leader, because I knew I had a limited period of time in which to maximize my impact on my team and my organization. It allowed me to be a better wife, daughter, and friend, because I wasn’t so wrapped up in my own mental game of ping pong (STAY?-LEAVE?-STAY?-LEAVE?). And the wonderful thing was that I didn’t actually sacrifice anything by making this decision. I could have changed my mind, because no one else -- apart from my husband and parents (yes, I’m very lucky to have such supportive parents) -- knew about it. Over the course of the year, I did take some steps to make my upcoming transition go more smoothly and to prepare for my next chapter, but it was the act of deciding that had, far and away, the biggest impact on my ability to lead a fulfilling and low-angst life in 2017.

What big decision or struggle is sucking all the air out of your internal life? What question is causing you to spin your mental wheels? Where, to be frank, are you wasting a lot of time through indecision? What can you decide, recognizing that you can always make a different decision down the road? Few things are as irreversible as we think.

Deciding is a powerful tool. I’ve seen it work wonders in the lives of my clients and in my own life. If you think it might work for you too, let me know: what decision will you make this week to quiet your brain’s biggest debate with itself?

Be brave and decide, then move forward in that direction. You’ll be surprised by how much mental bandwidth and usable time it frees up to spend on what really matters.

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