Why would you not make your journey through life as amazing and interesting as possible?

If there’s a conversation I’ve had with myself a hundred times it’s this one, “I don’t want to sit down and write because I’m afraid I won’t come up with anything good.” I worry that my words won’t impress the feelings I’m trying to convey or that people might criticize me, so why even start? I hate to see my failure in front of me and I wish I wasn’t such a perfectionist. Before I know it, I feel indecisive and find many creative ways to avoid getting to work. Suddenly, I have to walk my dogs again this morning or it becomes urgent to find where the missing penny went on my bank statement. I’d rather explore my food pantry than explore my new ideas and I can loaf around with the best of them. Or I’ll write with no enthusiasm, then rewrite, then delete my revisions and begin all over again. 

Here’s what I’ve discovered though: my decision is as mighty as my fear is weak. The decision to pick up my writing again, even half-heartedly, is so awesomely powerful that this tiny bit of willingness gets me back on track. “Just show up," an inner voice guides me. "The littlest effort matters and your best is enough.” So sometimes I sit at my computer, however sluggishly, and simply go through the motions. Decision is such a bold and potent inner force that even small amounts of it help me overcome fear and triumph on any given day. In time, I remember how much I love to coach and write, and wonder what I was ever feeling so indecisive over.

What about you?

Which voice do you listen to?

Decision Says "Yes" and Fear Almost Always Says "No"

Is there a decision you know you need to make, but you’ve been putting off making it? The common conversation we all face is, “Can I do this?” “Is it REALLY okay for me to try something new or is too late for me to change?” The voice of fear almost always says “No, I can’t do that! I’ll look foolish or seriously mess it up this time,” or “What if I fall flat on my face and everyone laughs at me?” But there is another voice, a much more powerful voice which says, “I can do this and I will.” This is the strong voice of decision which reminds you that you can be, do or have anything that you want; so as convincing your fear-filled thinking is, listen to this wisdom and encouragement instead.

It’s okay to feel your fear and acknowledge it. You’re human after all. But don’t let that tricky, critical voice of fear make your most important decisions for you. If you let it, your fear will successfully prevent you from moving forward with your most exciting life adventures or talk you out of what you really want. Fear is cunning and crafty. It will creep in and take over even before you realize it. But Decision is the universal force that shakes up your hidden resistance, overpowers your fear and gets your internal gears moving again. So not to worry, you’ll quickly course correct if you remember to ask yourself from time to time:

Am I the one making the decisions around here? Or am I letting my fear decide?

Doing What You ‘Should Do’

Whenever you feel a sense of inner turmoil or a growing sense of conflicting feelings, chances are pretty good that you do need to make a decision about something. You might be questioning what the best course of action is and that could be what’s holding you back. We ask ourselves, “Should I, or shouldn’t I?” Despite this familiar back and forth game of tug-of-war, if you decide to follow through with what you really want (in your heart of hearts) and with what’s best for you, the turmoil and conflict drop away and disappear. These feelings might instantly be replaced by others, like nervous excitement, guilt or even panic but the conflict over what to do is gone. And even when you’re scared about a decision, if you know it’s the right one, that same decision will see you through. Just keep stepping forward and sticking with it.

Here’s the catch. If you decide to go with what you should do, versus doing what you really want to do, your heart will rebel and that sense of turmoil will continue to mount. Stuffing your own desires won’t serve you in the long run. Are you in the habit of pleasing everyone else before you please yourself? If so, your own personal challenge might be to investigate what’s best for you and learn to follow your own inner guidance. It’s a matter of listening to your intuition, or gut instincts, and then practice making your decisions from that place.

Deciding to Leave Something Behind

Have you ever had a failure turn out to be a blessing in disguise? I have, and I’ve experienced some crushing letdowns in my life. I once walked away from an exciting and lucrative business opportunity because I had lost my love and passion for it and I didn’t share the same vision with the other people involved. Try as I did, I failed to create consensus and I felt so totally frustrated, unsupported and misunderstood. I’ve since learned that some things aren’t meant to work out. Sometimes ‘No’ is the right answer. My only choice was to move on with my life and leave that opportunity behind.

To leave something behind is also a decision. These decisions are often the hardest ones to make. Today, years later, I can honestly say that I’m glad I closed that particular door. The decision to honor my own values changed me for the better and changed my life for the better. Even though the lessons were painful, I needed to learn what only that experience could teach me and I still draw from those lessons today. In the end, my decision to be involved was a good one, for a time; and my decision to leave was also a good one, for the long run. Is it time for you to remove your energy from a situation or leave something behind entirely?

Deciding to Go For Something Better

It was Elbert Hubbard who said:

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually fear you will make one.”

Perhaps our most critical mistake is to fear that we’ll make a mistake. One of our biggest barriers to deciding to go for a big goal is the fear that we must be wrong somehow. What if we make the wrong decision and it ends up not being worth it? Because we’re human, of course we fear pain and hurt. Whenever we risk our security and safety for the pursuit of something better, there is always a chance that we’ll end up in worse shape than ever before. At least it appears that way for a little while. We fear drowning in a sea of debt, embarrassment, rejection and lost dreams while our friends are successfully moving up the ladder of success and getting further ahead in life. And what if the grass really isn’t greener over there? These objections are something real and valid to look at. Nevertheless, if your life is not where you want it to be, the greater risk lies in staying where you are. Perhaps there is less to lose in finding out how green the grass really is on the other side of positive change. For example, if you decide to leave a relationship that is not good for you, you are taking a risk. But if you don’t, how will you ever have room for a healthy partner? If you decide to give up your steady paycheck to start your own business, you are risking yourself. But what if the business ends up being a huge success?

And do you know what else? Even if you did totally and completely fail and everyone could potentially judge you, it really would be okay. It might feel like you’re in much worse shape at that moment, but would you really be? You would still be the same wonderful and capable person. You’ll probably become a better person because of it.

Are you ready to risk a relationship that is not healthy for you to seek a happier life on your own? Are you ready to give up a secure paycheck, benefits and holidays off for the sake of starting your own, way more fulfilling adventure? If you are unhappy in love or in your job, then yes, maybe you are.

How Decision is Working for My Dream

One of my own personal dreams is to be a writer and speaker as well as a professional coach. The only way I can realize this dream is to write and speak. I have to keep plugging away at both even when I don’t write anything good or deliver my best performance. You see, I’ve had some earlier conditioning to overcome. When I was studying to become a nurse, I excelled in advanced science but fell short in every basic speech and writing class that was required of me to graduate. My speech class terrified me. I stood shaking behind the podium and read my notes word for word. I wouldn’t look up from the page because I was afraid I would lose my place, blunder and turn bright red. And my writing professor was very critical of me. She told me that I couldn’t write in proper English so it was a good thing that I was in the nursing program.

I’ve come a long way since then and I’m grateful that I decided to write anyway. It’s also okay that I’m not the best writer out there. I’m glad I decided to not listen to my college professor because I’m now a published author; I’ve also come out from behind the podium and have earned awards for my presentations. At one time I wouldn’t have believed that last sentence. I would have denied this could be my life. And it’s important that I share how this particular dream is coming true with you because it hasn’t come easily or naturally to me. This dream has taken a lot of willingness and personal energy on my part. I’m absolutely convinced that I would have quit a long time ago if I didn’t have my decision working for me.

A Dream Remains a Wish Until You Decide to Go For It

The first step in the Your Abundant Life™ program is Vision. I encouraged you to play with your imagination and envision your life as if you’ve already accomplished a significant dream. Yet visualizing the dream is one thing, deciding to live it or intending to have it is something else altogether. A want remains a wish until you claim it for yourself and say, “Yes, I’m in! That’s the way for me, I will go after my desires and settle for nothing less!”

If you have a dream but find this dream eluding you, you might be making it harder to reach because you haven't decided on it yet. Your lack of a clear intention prevents your desires from unfolding in your life. So once you picture yourself enjoying the achievement of a goal and feel what it’s going to be like to have it, you must then make the decision to go for it! This is no light step, but it is the crucial next step for achieving a life of better health, improved relationships and greater career success. 

Whenever you make a decision…

• The muddy water becomes clear. A decision will help you determine and clarify your direction, plans and priorities
• Your power is instantly harnessed and re-directed in a laser-like fashion. Yes, there’s work ahead of you, but because you’re now clear, you can focus. Whenever intend to achieve a goal, you’ll close some doors but that’s good, because you’ll open the right doors and put yourself straight on course for successfully reaching the desired goal
• You begin to build momentum. With clarity and focus, you can begin to move forward, building speed and momentum as you go. You’ll feel it the moment you decide to go for a goal because you become instantly energized. Clarity will do that. Most successful people can trace their greatest accomplishments back to the very moment they decided to make those specific goals a reality. Everything shifted within them and they could feel the tide turning in their favor. You might also find yourself amazed at the many coincidences and helpful opportunities that show up just in time to help you move to the next level

Step One: Decide to Live the Life You Dream Of  

There comes a time when we all must make our own decisions about the best direction for our lives. I encourage you to do what you really want and what makes your heart sing. Take a chance on your biggest dreams and don’t settle for anything less than your highest good. It’s okay if your decisions are unpopular; trust yourself to choose what’s best for you and then decide to go for it. In order to achieve anything great, you must determine that you will.

Step Two: Let Your Challenges Make You Stronger

The only time you won’t experience challenges or growing pains is when you’ve allowed your life to stagnate. And the greater the goal, the greater the challenge it seems. Those who shoot for less might have fewer obstacles to overcome and perhaps life is safer and more comfortable for them, but it’s not the most fulfilling or exhilarating way to live.

Challenges and obstacles are both inevitable parts of going for a goal. These roadblocks provide you with opportunities to test your resolve and will ultimately help you become a more resourceful and savvy person. Some challenges provide the missing puzzle piece or help you learn a necessary skill such that you ultimately do succeed. And when you finally reach your goals, you’ll have earned the confidence and character strength needed to hold on to them. Difficult times are also your greatest teachers, designed to help you grow true and strong. So if you stop short and decide to give up too soon, you won’t learn how capable and competent you really are.

Step Three: Live With Decision Every Day

While it’s important to decide on the big things like our major goals and priorities, I have found decision to be an every day kind of practice for how to live a powerful life. Day by day we decide to show up and be involved in our ambitions, bit by bit and step by step. What do you think would happen if you chose to participate and engage in your dreams each day? I’ll tell you what I think would happen: all of those small decisions would have a compound interest effect indeed. The seemingly tiny results bring huge gain in the long-term. So even when the excitement around a big future goal seems to elude you and it’s hard to stay interested or invested on any given day, just take a small step, because baby steps work like magic too.

If you say you want to be a writer, write. If you want to be a painter, paint. If you want to be a dancer, dance. If you want to be fit and healthy, be fit and healthy. Decide to do it everyday, even if you’re like me and sludge through the motions sometimes. Don’t wait until everything is in perfect order before you get started. If you wait until your life is perfect or problem-free before you begin, you never will. Decide to live your dream life now!

Consider This

Jim Rohn, one of today’s top motivational speakers, has said,

“It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions.”

Coaching Tip: Don’t Let Fear Stop You from Acting on Your Decisions

Fear means ‘Go’! Having cold feet is a good indicator that you’re stepping up and stretching beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone. You’re simply on that outer edge of what feels safe and known and that’s why you’re feeling resistant. Worry and anxiety are often good signs that you’re onto something good, and that you’re just about to take a big leap forward, so don’t stop now. Keep on moving instead. You will only be held back if you mistake fear as a sign to stop.

Coaching Questions for Decision

• What is my most exciting immediate goal?
• Am I ready to fix my attention on it?
• Have I decided to go for it?

Coaching Action Challenge

Move out of the ‘wishing’ phase and into the ‘having’ phase of your goal and decide what you’re ready to go for now. You can start in any area, personal or professional, and if you’re ready for a bigger challenge, choose a bigger goal. Give yourself permission to choose one dream to pursue now. It’s as simple as claiming your highest good and intending on making it happen.

Core Concepts

• Fear will use delay tactics that cause you to avoid making decision
• Avoidance and indecisiveness will keep you stuck
• A small decision can overcome great fear
• Decision gives you that little bit of willingness needed to make giant strides forward
• Decision create instant clarity, focus and momentum

Decision Success Formula:

I want + I will = deliberate intention that creates momentum and manifests results

Decision Bottom Line: You could live a lesser life, but why? Decision is the inner force that harnesses your inborn ability to do, be or have anything you want