Photo credit: Astrid Jirka

Remember the sequence for making good decisions:

1. Learn your own signs to tell when you are about to make a decision. This might be as simple as “when someone is standing in front of me asking me a question,” “when I feel my neck tightening,” “when I feel my face getting flushed.” Those are some recent examples people have offered. Becoming aware that you are about to make a decision before you make it – and this includes the decision to part your lips and allow air to pass through them in the form of speech to another person – is absolutely foundational to effective decision-making.

2. Any time you become aware that you are being called (externally or internally) to make a decision, PAUSE. That means shut your mouth if you have the option to say nothing, or if someone else is asking you something, say something like “I really appreciate your asking me that, will it work for me to respond later today?”

3. Quickly assess if the decision at hand might well be a “decision of consequence.” That is, if it might well have consequence for your life for more than a week. If you can quickly conclude that it would not, just make the decision quickly! Any way you want; do not squander the energy agonizing over it.

4. If you think this might be a Decision of Consequence, check your spark number.

5. If your spark number is below an 8, reach for the next highest available ING.*

6. When your spark number is back up to an eight, (hopefully) within one hour once you practice the sparking approach, Clarify The Question.*

7. When you are clear about what question you need to attend to next and your spark number is still (or again back) at an eight or higher, you are NOW ready for “The Big Give” to yourself by running your Four Frames decision-making process.* The “Big Give” is the mnemonic BGIV for Best Self, Good Life Index, INGs and Vision. Each of these is explained elsewhere.