How to Make a Decision: Taking a New Opportunity or Focusing on What You Have

In the information era we have more opportunity than ever before. So why is it harder than ever to make a decision and commit?

There are so many decisions to make- what career to pursue, to settle down or stay single, to travel or pick a place, where to have dinner! With the flood of voices on social media, friends, and our places of work, it’s almost impossible to escape the influence of committing our time and/or money. There are so many options! So, what’s the balance between being open to opportunities and being focused on what’s important?

The problem is it’s easy to forget to be true to ourselves. To live out our values and mission. To pick a cause and stick with it. Whether the flag we wave be our family, business or something else, we all have a deep need to be congruent with the person we desire to be and to live out our purpose and cultivate joy in our life. However, the road to feeling congruent, on track, and consistently fulfilled is a tricky one. Balancing opportunity and focus in our life to the point where we feel good about where we’re going is hard. Truthfully, it’s not a destination. It takes consistent realignment to stay in the sweet spot of balance. But it’s worth the effort, because getting the big pieces of our life in place is something some people never take the time to do. It’s sad to speak to an old person who regrets ignoring an opportunity when they were young. It’s just as disheartening to hear a young person’s struggle of trying to do too many things and never feeling fulfilled. In taking on too many opportunities they stretched themselves thin and didn’t feel at peace with any of them.

With that in mind, here is what I would tell someone who feels the tension between opportunity and focus right now. My hope is you’ll gain some wisdom here to make better decisions for your life and your future.

1- Choose Contentment

If I am ever in a negative headspace where I’m questioning past decisions or feeling confused about a decision I have to make now, I repeat my favorite mantra. “Hey Joey, it’s all good buddy. Remember- You can only do what you can, with what you have, with what you know at the time.” This saying has a tension-releasing effect on my emotions and soul. It’s true for you too! Forgiving yourself for less-than-optimal decisions in the past is the first step towards having a healthy mindset for decision making now. Be kind to your past and focus on what you can do now.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by opportunities or at a crossroads right now, it’s important to get your mind clear. Browsing entertainment sites and social media, spending hours analyzing tiny details of the opportunity, and comparing your life journey with someone else’s is not helpful right now. When looking at other people’s social media profiles it’s easy to extrapolate their joy into every area of their life which is just not true. Everyone has struggles, everyone must go on their own journey of finding balance between opportunity and focus in their life.

So, spend time today or this week with no screens around. Grab your journal and start by writing why you’re grateful for what you have right now. Cultivate feelings of joy and peace. Then, start brainstorming how to deal with your upcoming decision. Whether you choose to take the opportunity in front of you or stay focused on what you have going now, you can be sure to get a better decision in the right headspace.

2- Prioritize Long Term Meaning

Short term thinking leads to short term wins and losses, which is the opposite of prioritizing long term meaning in all areas of your life- relationships, career, place of living, etc.

Try to think of ten years from now sitting down for a coffee with your spouse or best friend and saying, “I’m so glad I made the decision to ______.” Because you knew how much that specific choice added value and joy to your life. That decision could have been to take a new opportunity or focus on one you already had. Think of where you want to be, what you want to be doing, and who you want to be doing it with, at least five to ten years down the line. This reorganizes your thinking to take opportunities that align with your values, mission, and true self. More than likely, these opportunities will take longer to bring to fruition, require more work, and necessitate skill building. That’s a good thing. Most worthy endeavors take time, effort, and going outside your comfort zone to achieve.

Do not fall into the trap of seeking control in the short term, at the expense of the long term. Too many people pursue short term security or control over their long-term goals. They might make the decision to take a comfortable salary instead of earning less but, having more time for their mission. They might refrain from planning a year of traveling and working abroad because it would create too many problems to figure out. Every opportunity has a price. Make sure you’re not overpaying with your future, just to feel completely secure now.

3- Create space for passion

What was the last project that got you so excited you couldn’t wait to get out of bed in the morning? What recent undertaking kept you up late because you couldn’t stop working on it?

Do not underestimate the joy that is accessible right in front of you. It’s easy to overcomplicate passion. To make it some idealistic, monolith feeling only a select few get to enjoy on a regular basis. This is not true! With simple reflection you can come up with at least two activities that spark joy and motivate you for excellence. With so much opportunity out there, do not forget the sum of a fulfilling career is work that ignites passion and pays you for it.

Do some brainstorming / journaling on what activities draw passion out of you. What makes you happy while you’re doing it? What work intrinsically inspires you to provide quality output? What projects do you finish? Try to choose opportunities that create space for passion in your life. Something you know fires you up and gets you excited. Or something you are not scared to commit to because you know you’ll still love it years from now. Remember too that clarity comes through activity. You may fear committing to focusing on an opportunity because you’re not sure it’s a good fit. This is normal, DOING things is part of the discovery process. You can always refine your focus later on.

I hope you’ve found some insight into making decisions. Balancing being open to opportunities vs committing / focusing is an ongoing journey. Keep your spirits high during the process. Be thankful you have choices in your life and that you have the freedom to design your future. I’m convinced the best is yet to come.

Stay awesome,

Joey