One of the best ways I know to master your days, weeks, months and years, is to understand how to make decisions.
Now that may seem like a really simple thing to do but many people struggle with making decisions, big and small, because they are basically fearful of the outcomes of their choices. They go back and forth in their thinking with “what if I do this and that happens” or “but if I do that, I may not like what comes after”. Rightly so because making decisions means that we are most likely going to experience change of some sort and how will we live with the consequences of those changes – particularly if we don’t like what the changes bring!
Knowledge and experience has taught me that the most effective way to make decisions is to truly know your values first. If you’re not sure of your values and how to live by them, then your decision making could be a bit ad hoc and some guesswork may be involved, which can be a pretty risky way to live your life.
When making decisions, ask your self this question: “Am I prepared to live with the consequences of my decision whether good or not so good?”. Next, write down your values. These are the things we live our lives by and if you’re not living according to your values, you’ll feel anything from slightly uncomfortable to downright miserable and some people may even experience ill health when not living according to their values. If you’re not careful, this can also cause feelings of being a victim of your circumstances and you may feel like you’ve lost control.
A few good examples are: (1) If a person says they value their health but they smoke, drink alcohol regularly, don’t exercise and don’t eat fresh healthy foods on a daily basis, then it can be said that they really don’t value their health at all. A person who truly values their health will be following a healthy nutrition plan, exercising regularly and avoiding alcohol and tobacco. (Note: Some people may get away with moderate alcohol consumption but research being done these days suggests otherwise and many health experts say it s best avoided altogether).
(2) If a person values honesty and integrity (in themselves and others) but they rip off their friends, colleagues, customers etc then honesty and integrity are definitely not their values and they are fooling themselves and living a lie.
(3) One of my top values is Peace so I choose to work from home in my peaceful environment and if someone offered me a huge income to go and work 8-12 hour days in a busy shopping center, (or something similar) I’d decline the offer because despite the money possibly being attractive, I find those big shopping centers anything but peaceful and I avoid them as much as possible! I studied and accumulated knowledge for years in order to bring about my dream of working from home, peacefully, in line with my values and it still brings me great happiness each and every day.
So if you want to master your life, be sure you’re making clear decisions based on your values and watch Every Day Get Better.
Here’s a Helpful Link on Knowing Your Values: https://www.everydaygetsbetter.com/values
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