Nothing gets someone fired up like external pressure. If there is a mounting deadline, a stressful work environment, or just tension surrounding a project, the fight-or-flight mode is activated, and then snap decisions are made. But they don’t always feel good, do they? Making decisions because you have to, when the circumstances are dire, leaves a bitter taste because it is fear-based. You need to get something done, so you just move ahead. This is just a reaction to external circumstances. Decisions and business go hand in hand. Consider the long-lasting effects of your decisions and how they will affect your business now and in the future.
There are two things that are harmful in those circumstances: the negative emotions that drive those decisions, and the lack of control over those external circumstances. The negative emotions that inspire these decisions will not instill confidence in your choices. In fact, it might undermine your choices because you were not in a position to have a full logical assessment. External circumstances can’t be controlled, but they can be avoided. Managing these two elements will allow you to eliminate those difficult decisions.
Fortunately, these two things can be solved by you. Generating internal circumstances for your decision-making processes will instill more confidence in the actual decision because you are in control. When you set the deadlines for a project, you are working on your own terms. When you are creating your own terms, you will undoubtedly feel more confident. You set the pace at which things should be done. You set the rules. This doesn’t mean you should try to control every aspect of your business, but take control of the things that matter.
Instead of procrastinating, allowing tasks to build up, or avoiding unsavory experiences, create the ideal circumstances for you to approach these situations. If you don’t want to be burdened with short deadlines, then start your work earlier or request longer deadlines. If you want to lessen your workload, then outsource or eliminate some non-essential tasks from your workload. Have you been putting off communication with clients because of tension? Communicate clearly what you expect from them and what they should expect from you.
Preventative measures will ensure that you are placed in situations that you want. You won’t always get your way, and things may go awry every now and again, but these small things do have a large impact on the decision-making process.
Removing the pressure from external influences will allow you to see your situation much more clearly. It will allow you to make an unbiased assessment and to act accordingly. Instead of being forced to make a choice, you will feel much more grounded in taking control, exercising your own authority over your business and professional endeavors. Better decisions come from a mind at ease, not one being pulled and pushed in any and all directions. Establishing some semblance of stability with creating a firm grounding for clarity.
