A Secret for Making Tough Decisions

Imagine, your witnessing your own funeral sometime in the distant future and someone important in your life is reading your eulogy.

I know, sounds a bit morbid. Or is it? Bear with me and really think about this. I promise you it’s worth it.

What would you like your eulogy to say? What kind of legacy would you like to leave behind? How do you want to impact the lives of others?

Few people ever think about this, that is, until they are much older and closer to facing mortality. Yet the time to consider this is now. One of the greatest exercises you can do to find your life purpose or identify your true passions is to write the best eulogy you intend for yourself.

But we’re not discussing that here.

What I want to share with you is a simplified version of this, cause it’s a great way to make tough decisions. I learned this little secret from a terrific book. You can apply this concept in a very practical manner.

When you’re faced with a difficult decision, imagine yourself decades into the future. Now looking back from the point of view of the future, what decision would make the best story? What decision would you be happiest with when looking back?

I actually started using this technique when faced with tough decisions, and it has totally paid off! I’ll admit, sometimes you gotta get out of your comfort zone – it takes some courage and faith. But every decision I’ve made in this way has turned out to be the best decision. And that’s what matters, right?

This actually works great in business too. Cause in business you have to look ahead and be able to see how a decision effects your business in the future. Makes sense right?

Whether you use it in business, your personal life, or even in relationships, the great thing about this decision making technique is that it removes a lot of emotional charge. That’s usually what hinders the decision making process in tough situations.

Emotion and Intelligence have inverse relationships. Meaning when emotions go up, intelligence goes down.

Look back a time when you were really emotional. Perhaps a heated argument. Did you say or do something stupid that you later regretted? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Like I said, emotion goes up > intelligence goes down.

So remember, when faced with a tough decision, imagine yourself 30 years into the future. Then from that perspective, ask yourself “What Decision Would Make The Best Story?”

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