Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #22

Position Yourself To Be Decisive

“It’s better to be boldly decisive and risk being wrong than to agonize at length and be right too late.” (Author Unknown)

Some Definitions

Decisive - Having the power or quality of deciding; putting an end to controversy; crucial or most important. Characterized by or displaying no or little hesitation; resolute; determined. Unsurpassable; commanding.

Better - Of superior quality or excellence. Of superior suitability, advisability, desirability, acceptableness, etc.; preferable.

Bold - Not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring. Necessitating courage and daring; challenging. Beyond the usual limits of conventional thought or action; imaginative.

Risk - Exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance. The hazard or chance of loss.

Wrong - Not correct in action, judgment, opinion, method, etc., as a person; in error.

Agonize -To suffer extreme pain or anguish; be in agony. To distress with extreme pain; torture.

Length - Extent in time; duration. The quality or state of being long rather than short. The extent to which a person might or would go in pursuing something.

Right - In accordance with what is good, proper, or just. In conformity with fact, reason, truth, or some standard or principle; correct. Correct in judgment, opinion, or action. Fitting or appropriate; suitable.

Late - Occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time. Occurring at an advanced stage in life. Belonging to an advanced period or stage in the history or development of something.

Source: Dictionary.com

The Ability To Be Decisive Is Crucial To Your Success

Successful people, at one point or another, learn to make decisions AND to not beat themselves over the head when they make a mistake.

Heck, just over the last year, I will readily admit I’ve made many mistakes. BUT, rather than beat myself over the head for those mistakes, I examined them thoroughly. I took them apart, bit by bit and asked myself two questions:

What did I do wrong?

What did I do right?

Things I Did Wrong

Everything I did wrong went into my memory banks so that I will be able to use the knowledge gained from those mistakes to REDUCE the chances I will make them again in the future.

It is possible I may make those mistakes again, or I may not. It is also possible I will make other mistakes.

But the key is that I learned from my mistakes AND did NOT beat myself up for having made them.

Things I Did Right

I examined those in even greater detail. Then I praised myself for the things I did right. I also put the knowledge gained from everything I did right into my memory banks so that I will be able to use the knowledge gained to INCREASE the chances I will continue to do things right in the future.

The key is that I learned from my successes AND praised myself for them.

What Does All Of This Have To Do With Being Decisive?

Quite simply, I believe the number one reason people are often NOT decisive is fear. They are afraid of doing the wrong things. If you use the same method I have that I just described above, you will lose your fear of making mistakes. The reason you will lose your fear of making mistakes is that you will stop beating yourself up over them and you will use the knowledge gained from those mistakes to succeed.

It’s All In Your Mind

Erich Sauer said: The direction of a man’s thought is always the decisive factor in his personality. His whole outer life will be determined by the inward inclination of his mind.

He said it all right there. If you are inclined to think of yourself as a failure, you WILL be a failure and be afraid to make decisions. If you are inclined to think of yourself as a success, you WILL be a success and you will develop the confidence to make decisions.

I Want You To Make A Decision - RIGHT NOW

If you have not already done so, I want you to decide that you are going to do the following four things:

1) Learn from your mistakes.

2) Not beat yourself up for having made mistakes.

3) Learn from your successes.

4) Praise yourself for having created successes in your life.

Now there, wasn’t that simple?