INDECISION: 11 IMPORTANT TIPS TO OVERCOME IT - ARTE - 2024

The indecision is the inability to decisively choose among several alternatives. This causes a feeling of discomfort that lasts over time until a decision is made.

Today you will have hundreds of options to make, so many that they can lead you to feel bad, sad or worried. This indecision is one of the causes of unhappiness. In fact, there are psychologists who have stated that we are not happy because of all the options that we have and on which we have to decide.

Maybe if you had fewer options, you could be happier. However, in my opinion it is good to have options and the more the better. The main thing is that they do not confuse you and know how to put the variety in your favor.

Here are some examples of situations that can lead to indecision:

• Having to choose between one university degree or another.
• Having to choose whether to accept a job or not.
• Accept a marriage proposal or not.
• Decide whether to accept a business agreement.
• Decide whether or not to have a child.

However, for some people the state of indecision is frequent and even in everyday situations:

• Having to choose what to wear to go out.
• Choose what to eat.
• Choose which product to buy from all the options.
• Choose which movie to watch if you go to the cinema.
• Choose whether to accept a party invitation or not.

It is in these latter cases of chronic indecision that there is a real problem.

Why are some people indecisive?

It is often due to fear of making the wrong decision.

Thoughts such as: What if I make a mistake may cross your mind? What if I get worse later? What if later I can't, can I go back and choose the other option?

Perfectionism is another cause, since there is a tendency to think which option will lead to the perfect result, which will avoid mistakes.

Other reasons are:

• Lack of selfesteem.
• Stress.
• Seek approval from others.
• Lack of learning: in some children the parents make all the decisions and when maturity comes, the adult has learned that it is best to remain undecided, having not developed decision-making skills.

What makes a person determined?

In general, in society determined people are admired, who make decisions without bacillary.

I would say that a person is determined if:

• Make important decisions after having thought through the consequences or even after having grown personally and getting to know yourself better. For example: choosing one career or another, state policies, company policies…
• Make unimportant decisions quickly and knowing that they will not have negative consequences. For example: choosing one product or another, choosing what to wear, watching a movie or another…

In the first case, it is necessary to reflect and think about the consequences, pros and cons because the choice will have consequences on yourself or on other people.

In the second case, your decision will have minimal and unimportant consequences.

Therefore, it is not about choosing what to do impulsively and without thinking. Sometimes you have to reflect and, when the time comes, the decision will be made.

Is indecision always bad?

In reality, indecision is not always negative.

Doubting can be a sign that you should take your time to make decisions, that you care about a result and it makes you think about consequences, pros and cons.

You can doubt feeling good. It would be a state in which you would think: "choosing between my current job or the one they have offered me is complicated, I have to think about it, although in any case it is fortunate to be able to choose".

In addition, and as affirmed by the social scientist Daniel Newark, indecision can become a space to clarify our beliefs and values, and can facilitate the development of personal identity.

On the other hand, something important is not to maintain the state of indecision forever, but to set a limit in which one option or another is chosen.

When indecision is negative it is when it is chronic and when it causes feelings of discomfort.

Why is it important to be determined?

Indecision can lead to negative consequences in several areas of life:

• Leadership: if you are the leader of a work team, you will have to constantly make decisions and do it well and being determined will reinforce your leadership.
• Wellness and health: Research like this has indicated that indecision can lead to depressive symptoms.
• Opportunities pass: If you don't make decisions fast enough, a good opportunity may pass and you won't take advantage of it. Luck is preparation plus taking advantage of opportunities.
• Productivity: learning to decide what to do during the day will allow you to be more productive and obtain the most benefits for the time spent. Deciding what to spend your time on is really important.
• Stress: it is probably the most uncomfortable and most common symptom in indecisive people. Making a decision after long moments of indecision can be terribly liberating.
• Not being in control of your life: if you decide not to decide, other people will make the decisions for you, not the ones you are happy with.
• It can lead to feelings of low self-worth.

How to overcome indecision?

Your state of indecision can be resolved by changing your way of thinking and your behavior.

Of course, and as in everything, the greater your difficulty in making decisions, the more you will have to make an effort.

1-How important is the result?

When you start doubting, not knowing what to do, ask yourself: how important is the result?

If it's of little importance, like choosing which can of food to take from a supermarket, you should make a decision without taking too long.

According to scientific research, people are poor predictors of what makes us happy.

You may think that certain events will ruin your life - an illness, losing your job, not having a partner - but we rarely get it right. On the other hand, what you think will make you happy - money, having a partner, having a huge house - may not make you happy.

What I mean is that you cannot predict the future. You will always run the risk of being wrong. Therefore, the smartest thing is to choose what is aligned with your values and you think that it brings you closer to the person you want to be.

Your future happiness will be decided by your "future self" not by your "now self." It is clear that the decisions you make now influence your future, so you will have to make what you think will have a better result in the future and better fit your values.

2-accept responsibility

There are people who are hesitant to avoid taking responsibility for their mistakes.

It is much more common than you think.

No decision is perpetual, almost all can be reversed and taking responsibility will make you grow as a person.

3-Free yourself from perfection and accept mistakes

Fear of failure, making mistakes, making mistakes, or appearing foolish to others can be immobilizing.

On the other hand, mistakes or failures are not final, they are simply results with which you learn.

Also, we usually believe that by choosing something, we have a lot to lose. However, on many occasions this is not the case. What's more, there is probably more to gain.

In very few vital occasions you will have to choose something that you cannot correct.

If you choose a bad job, you can go; if you buy a bad car, you can return it; if you don't like a dress you can return it; if you miss it, you will have more chances to get it right.

A life of mistakes is much better than one of procrastination.

4-Trust your intuition

Expert Malcolm Gladwell states in his book Blink that not relying on intuition can result in negative consequences.

In fact, intuition is scientifically based and is a source of knowledge that comes from experience.

In Think Fast, Think Slow, Kahnem states that intuition can be relied upon when we encounter situations that we have experienced before and that are similar.

For example, some firefighters know when the ground is going to collapse because they have experienced a landslide many times. They have unconsciously learned what signals indicate that the ground will fall, and their intuition picks up those signals in similar situations.

5-Not deciding will never save you from elections

If you don't decide, others will do it for you or your life will be guided by fear.

In either case, you will go the way of a choice, whether made by yourself or someone else. You are always going to have to be making choices.

Not being able to choose would be not having freedom.

Therefore, choose the options you want, the more thoughtful the more important they are, and without fear of making mistakes.

Don't forget: indecisions turn into decisions over time.

6-Think of yourself and do not worry about what others will think

Often you will have a clear decision but you will be thinking about how others will react.

If the decision does not hurt anyone and it is the one you want to make, you do not have to worry about the opinions of others.

7-Adopt the philosophy of constant learning

If you think about it, making mistakes is a way of learning.

Therefore, making decisions, even if you make mistakes with them, will lead you to learn which decisions are correct.

8-Prioritize

Do you really know what you want? If you have priorities, it will cost you much less to choose.

If, for example, you have family as a priority, you will choose in 5 seconds to be with her instead of going to a party at work.

The priorities will depend on your values. To be aware of them, reflect on what makes you happy and what will make you happy in the future.

9-Build your self-esteem

You may be thinking about signing up for tennis classes and having a hard time making the decision.

You may think that you do not have the ability to practice this sport, although you really do.

Having a high self-esteem will help you a lot in making decisions.

10-There is more regret for inaction than for action

People often feel more sorry for what they didn't do (actions that could have led to positive results) than for what they did.

It seems like a natural tendency to repent for not taking actions that could have benefited us in one way or another.

11-Don't be impulsive

An unethical decision can hurt someone and lead to regret or remorse.

As I mentioned before, in everyday situations that do not have important consequences, you can choose quickly, but in important situations it is better to reflect on consequences, pros and cons.

12-Fight for your decision to be the right one

For example, on the topic of entrepreneurship and opening new businesses, the idea is not so important, but rather about implementing it well, working and developing a project well.

Therefore, it would not depend so much on whether a business idea had been chosen well or not, but on whether it has been done well in the process of putting it into operation.

With the decisions of everyday life it is the same. Sometimes you can make a decision, but if you do not have the necessary attitude, it will lead you to error or not achieve your goals.

If you need inspiration, you can use one of these decision phrases.