Stop Making The Same Bad Decision

Have you ever kept making the same bad decision, over and over again. It’s not something you do on purpose, it just never dawned on you that there might be another way. Auto-pilot and habit have blinded me to the reality that there is something here that I can actually change.

Perhaps you are there now, or you can recall a situation when you have been in the same place. If you don’t pay attention to what you are doing, and begin to ask yourself some very important questions, it is easy to stay in a cycle of dysfunction, and denial. Breaking any kind of cycle means you have to be willing to take a good look at where you are, and ask if you really have to stay there.

Here are some tips to help you move into the right direction.

Remember Change is always possible, especially when you are willing to stop and take inventory of both where you are, and what is not working. Cycles can only continue when you don’t question them, and don’t make yourself take a realistic look at what you are doing and why. When you are comfortable the idea of changing can feel overwhelming, but it isn’t, it is only different. If you are making the same bad decision over and over again, not only are you stagnant, but you are also closing the door to whatever progress might come with moving forward.

There is always a different way! A couple of weeks ago, I got sick of doing two different newsletters, so I stopped and looked at the alternatives. After 8, months, of doing two newsletters something that was time consuming and frustrating, I realized that I could change it by combining both lists into one. You can not imagine how I felt when I realized that the problem was fixed in 10 minutes. Hours, and hours I had wasted doing two different news letter because I never took the time to question my process. This is only one example, but I have many others I could share. Sit down with your problem, and write down 3 different alternatives. Not all of them will be ideal, but at least there are several different solutions.

Understand The Power of Options. When you have options, it frees up your mind. It helps you feel better about your choices and reduces stress. When you believe you only have one option it frustrates you and makes you angry. Take the pressure of yourself by reminding yourself that you are not painted in a corner, and understand what those things do to you and your feelings. Options are important because they make you feel empowered, they also help you understand that every answer is temporary, and never equals a death penalty. You always have the ability to choose.

Get In The Habit Of Making Changes. When you decide to make a habit of changing, it is not as hard to change. Decide right now that you will get comfortable, being uncomfortable. When you decide to operate that way, it makes changes easy and your auto-pilot tendency becomes less of the norm and more of the abnormal.

There is no reason to continue to do things that ultimately make your life harder, and uneasy. You can decide how you are going to handle challenges like this by making a commitment to yourself to change the way you do things once and for all. Look at what would happen if you stopped going with the flow, and became open to the possibilities that are laying around ready and waiting for you to take advantage of them. Life always gives us opportunities, we often miss them when we decide that going along without questioning what we are doing is an option, instead of a lose-lose formula. Change can be difficult, but it opens the door to a better time, and new opportunities. Break the mold and leave your comfort zone, and watch what happens.