Decide and act are two operative words. If you are wishy-washy, unclear or cannot decide, then it will be hard to make progress.
On the other hand, if you are decisive but slow to action, you will not go too far either.
Once you have done your homework, make a decision. Then, execution is the name of the game.
If your progress is not at the level you want it to be then check whether the decision or the action is the thing holding you back. The only other road block could be a wrong decision!
Effective communication includes dealing with hard issues in relationships, be it with family or business.
In the disguise of being nice, most people shy away from real issues which means that these are left unresolved and will come back to haunt them.
So you have a choice of dealing with it head on now and minimizing its recurrence, or burying it and being willing to deal with it again later, in uglier ways.
Resolving challenges as they come in a positive and conclusive manner are worth the time and investment, especially when dealing with people who you want to engage with in the long term.
It will be a case of short term pain and long term gain.
When things are undecided, a lot of energy gets wasted. You become unsure of where you stand.
Once a decision is made, it clears the way for execution and momentum.
Sometimes you don’t want to hear the outcome, so you postpone the decision. This hurts you because you are neither here, nor there.
Once a decision is made, you focus all of your energy on implementation. This paves the way for momentum!
Reflect on areas in your life where a decision is pending. Ask yourself what is holding you back from making a decision? Are you scared of facing the outcome, or is it sheer procrastination? Either way, ask yourself what you need to do to make a decision. Act upon what needs to be done to get it done. Then execute upon what you have decided, and ride on the momentum it creates!
There is some merit in being decisive and moving forward. This saves time and allows you to capitalize on the momentum. However, some important decisions require you to take more time with them.
I got tempted to immediately reply to an important proposal and drafted a response. When I showed it to my daughter she thought I had missed the boat completely. It made me realize that I must be overlooking something. So I slept on it.
My decision the next morning was quite different from my initial one. I had had time to reflect deeply and take into consideration a few other angles.
I also learned from this experience the value of considering other people’s views, in this case my daughter’s.
It does not mean that other people are always right. It means that you get the opportunity to evaluate other views before making a final decision. When you have thought it through further, you may chose whether or not to incorporate those views.
If the decision requires an immediate response you may not get the opportunity to ask. On the other hand, people who require immediate responses are not giving you a chance to reflect on the depth of your decision. Are they trying to hide something?