How should I go about making a hard life decision?

To help you to better go about making hard life decisions, we asked business leaders this question for their best tips. From seeking professional advice to aligning your decisions with your values, there are several ways that you can feel more confident in making hard life decisions.

Here are seven ways you should go about making a hard life decision:  

  • Seek Professional Advice
  • Plan for Your Family
  • Have Emergency Savings
  • Weigh Your Pros and Cons
  • Look to People You Trust
  • Align Your Decision With Your Values
  • Read About It

How to make a hard life decision

Seek Professional Guidance 

In our industry, we work with young birth mothers every day, making the hard but very brave decision to go through the adoption process. As with any decision, consideration, thought, prayer, and guidance from professionals assist in the decision-making process. When birth mothers come to Texas Adoption Center and trust us with the hardest decision they will ever make, we do not take it lightly. Our adoption specialists are trained to offer professional guidance to get these birth moms through this process with peace of mind and the knowledge that they are making a courageous choice for their child. 

Kenna Hamm, Texas Adoption Center

Plan for Your Family 

One of the most difficult decisions in life is planning for your own death. While the benefits are significant, life insurance is often difficult to think about and plan for the inevitable. While life is unpredictable, your family’s financial security does not have to be, especially if something happened to you. There are so many life insurance benefits that can fit your ever-changing family needs, so the sooner you start planning and investing in the right plan, the better.

Chris Abrams, Marcan Insurance

Have Emergency Savings 

Consider ways to make difficult life decisions the easiest. One of the best ways to do this is by having emergency savings. Emergency savings can give you more freedom and flexibility to make the best decisions, no matter how difficult it might be. For example, when it comes to starting your own business or making a career transition, especially if you have a family, having sufficient savings can buy you enough time to explore your options.

Rronniba Pemberton, Markitors

Weigh Your Pros and Cons 

Be smart about it and never limit your options. You should consider all of your choices and determine each choice’s pros and cons. You can do this by enumerating all of the pros and cons. Write it down on a piece of paper to guide you in evaluating which option is most practical. You can also ask another person’s opinion when doing this.

Joe Flanagan, VelvetJobs

Look to People You Trust 

Reach out to people who have had to make similar decisions to try to get different perspectives. It can be overwhelming when you have people giving you contradicting advice, so try to take things with a grain of salt. Ultimately, the decision should be your own, so weigh your options and trust yourself to make the right decision for you. 

Maia Kelly, TechnologyAdvice

Align Your Decision With Your Values 

When faced with a tough life decision, I like to ask myself three questions that haven’t let me down. Which alternative is best for my growth and development in 3–5 years? Which decision most closely aligns with my top values/priorities? Which option might I regret more in the future? These questions address all the major aspects of what makes a tough decision a tad more digestible. I analyze the aspects of fear and procrastination, the temptation of short-term inertia vs. long-term benefits, and how my choice will bring me closer to the best possible version of myself. Writing it all out helps a lot, so from one over-analyzer to another, do yourself a favor and put these down on paper. Good luck!

Jagoda Wieczorek, ResumeLab

Read About It

Whatever problem you’re having, someone has most likely written a book about it, and you can learn from their successes (or failures). Not only that but there’s a good chance some blogger out there has already curated a list of relevant books on the topic for you. By Googling “Best books about ___,” you can separate the wheat from the chaff and make a list of the top resources that other readers have found useful or encouraging. Using a site like Goodreads or Amazon can help you drill down further based on ratings and reviews left by readers, many of whom have been in the same boat as you and can comment from that perspective.

Chloe Brittain, Opal Transcription Services

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