With all the stress and frustration in a normal business day, having to make difficult decisions or being confronted with challenging situations can be all the more stressful. Having a solid practice for making these decisions can make all the difference in your ability to move forward and create successful results.
How to Make S.M.A.R.T. Business Decisions – It’s Not What You Think!
We business owners encounter a lot of stress throughout the day. Even when we are supposed to be at home, unplugged from the office, we still hold on to a lot of what is going on as we try to unwind. It could be the stress from trying to get a new client, involvement in some legal conflict, developing a new product, or handling employee issues. On top of all of that, there are decisions to be made.
Having a good system for making tough decisions can help you handle the stress arising from challenging situations. Tapping into the intuitive powers of decision-making can make all the difference.
Learning the S.M.A.R.T. Decision-Making System can guide you to the best choices for you and your business.
How do you know you need it?
Signs. They are everywhere. You know the anxiety that wakes you up at night, thoughts churning? The gripping in your belly. The constant distraction that you can never let it go, no matter what else you are doing. What NOW?
Movement. Make a move – of any kind. Give yourself permission not to make any decisions and get into an activity that has nothing to do with the situation that requires the hard choice. Movement is the antidote for the mind. It could mean walking away from a conversation or stopping a negotiation, taking a walk on the beach, or around the block, cooking a meal. It could just be sitting still and taking a handful of breaths without thinking of anything, or breathing deeper into the agenda but with the freedom to exhale it all out. There is always time for some movement, no matter what difficult decision you are being asked to make – other than to leave a burning building! Make yourself a priority, take back your freedom to choose on your terms, when you’re ready. Where do you go from here?
Alternatives. No matter what your situation is or the tough choice that seems to be getting clogged up in your mind, you can know that there are always alternatives. Discipline yourself to that way of thinking and acting: “There is always another way.” Taking time off, making movement in another direction, distracting the mind from trying to figure things out, allows those alternatives to show up in your awareness, enabling you to listen to that inner voice. You can even start to develop a plan B, or C, or D… And, although it may be just an exercise at first, it is more likely to actually yield viable options. Talk to other people, get some insight to find ways to handle something that you have been struggling to resolve. Then see what happens!…
Recognition. Ah. A light bulb goes off! You’ve had the solution all along. You’ve always known what to do, what’s right for you. And, with the movement you just took, you have created the bandwidth that allows you to see the alternatives from the place of freedom because you are no longer mired in the mud, immobilized by anxiety and stress. Your wise intuition can speak through you and it will rise easily to the surface of your conscious mind, as if you should have known it all along. So what now?
Take Action. You are free to act. You have the answers and it is the best outcome for you because you freed yourself to create it without pressure, not in reaction to something but by discovering what is best for you through you. Take Action. And get a good night’s rest!
Navigate sticky situations by making S.M.A.R.T. business decisions. It’s not what you think.
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