Are You Living by Default or Design?
Sociologists estimate most adults make about 35,000 decisions per day. Many are routine such as: Do I turn right or left? Do I wear a brown shirt or blue? Do I have a salad or sub for lunch? Most of these decisions are made without a second (or conscious) thought, and fortunately for us, few have long-term consequences.
The sheer volume of daily decisions we are required to make, and the plethora of options available (does my favorite salad place really need 50 dressing choices?) that comes with living in the 21st Century, can exacerbate even the simplest choices, and overwhelm us to the point that sometimes we just don’t have the energy to make one more decision even when the long term ramifications are much higher and more substantive.
While saying I don’t care, or allowing others to choose because of decision fatigue may not produce catastrophic results for what type of pizza we order, or what TV show we watch; repeatedly taking the path of least resistance by relinquishing decisions will rarely, if ever, allow you to maximize your potential and achieve your goals.
Consider that most of us would never drive to an unknown location without consulting some type of GPS device or map so we can reach our destination in the most efficient way possible. However, many of us do not apply the same level of thought and technology we use when traveling to the daily decisions that impact the trajectory of our lives. We spend more time and energy picking Fantasy Football winners, than we do on pursuing our goals and dreams.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a GPS for your life, that would serve as your individualized guide to help you navigate the many options, obstacles and opportunities of life based on your principles, preferences and priorities? A way of thinking that will help you to find and follow your personalized roadmap for success, and drown out the background noise and distractions.
Deliberate Direction is what I call a program I created that adapts the strategic planning model used by many businesses and nonprofits, and couples it with the power of making intentional, informed decisions that support your goals. This program guides you through four stages of self-discovery in order to simplify your decisions and align your direction with your destination:
- Analyze (Determine where you are and where you want to be)
- Align (Create a plan to achieve your goals)
- Apply (Do what needs to be done)
- Assess (What went right, what went wrong?)
- Adjust (Develop solutions to unforeseen and changing circumstances)
Based on your input, you will determine whether to take the short route, the long route, or the scenic route to your goals. Your individual plan can be as rigid or flexible as you wish, and can be updated as often as needed. Once established, it can be used as a guide to determine if future decisions will bring you closer to or further from your goals.
The decisions you make (or don’t make) will invariably lead to the direction you take. If you feel you are living more by default than by design and need a course correction, Deliberate Direction is worth exploring. Investing in yourself to change the direction of your life is hard work, but not any harder than dealing with the fallout of allowing circumstances or others to determine how your life turns out.
Are you ready to invest the time and do the work necessary to design and achieve the life of your dreams? Good, so am I!