Category: Goals

5 Lessons I Have Learned From Bad Decisions

We can’t avoid making bad decisions in our life, because we all make mistakes. But we can work to minimize the number of bad decisions we make. We can also try minimize the negative impact they may have on our life.

I made one decision this week that cost me about $3000. It was a mistake. In retrospect, I could say it was stupid.

Not all bad decisions cost us money. We also pay through lost opportunities, lost time, or even lost friends. These bad decisions can weigh us down, affect our attitude, and make life more difficult.

But I have found that regardless of the decisions I have made, they are all in the past. Tomorrow arrives with new opportunities. I still wish I could minimize my bad decisions. Here are 5 causes of most of my bad decisions, and some things I try to improve.

1. Lack of Knowledge. It is difficult to make a decision when you are not informed. Decisions become a coin toss. You win some. You lose some. I have made continuous study and education part of my normal day.

2. Lack of Experience. Practice counts. It is simple. My results, decisions, performance, all improve when I put in the work. Experts don’t become experts without real experience.

3. Over Confidence. When I become over confident I make mistakes. Humility helps me seek to become better. When we don’t prepare because we are confident, we can get blindsided.

4. Lack of Discipline. I hope I am not the only person that struggles with this. There are times when I know I should be doing one thing, and I end up spending time doing something else. What works best for me is to change necessary tasks into habits. Do something every day for 21 days, and it will become easier to do.

5. Not Knowing Myself. Sometimes decisions that go bad are because we don’t like the place the decision leads us. When I can weigh my options against my values it brings a sense of clarity. My values will help my discern between short term desires and long term benefits. I need to know myself well.

Do any of these resonate with you? What helps you make better decisions?

Are You Negatively Affecting Others?

When I feel overwhelmed and overworked, I recognize that my attitude is affecting everyone that I encounter. Hiding a negative attitude is difficult.

I tell myself that being frustrated is selfish, and I try to let go of my frustration as quickly as possible. But there are times that I get overwhelmed with my commitments for day or the week. My attitude becomes negative.

For me, I think the worst days are when I struggle giving my time to others. Some days I need to give my full attention to my deadlines. Then when things don’t go according to plan, my attitude really begins to suffer.

I guess we all have days like that. Here are some thoughts on how to fix those days.

1. Talk with someone. Sharing my burdens helps me get things in perspective. My self-imposed deadlines are usually not as important as I thought. Sharing frustrations is a great method to clear your mind and move forward.

2. Share your calendar and to-do list. Sharing schedules and tasks with your team, your co-workers, and your family can open the door for shared responsibilities. On days when you have time, you can help others with their schedule and tasks. On days when you need help, maybe others will come to your rescue. Creating and sharing goals creates this opportunity. It can work great in all facets of life… work, home, community.

3. Find help. Find your needed resources and enlist their help. This is best as a long term solution. It is difficult to recruit help when you have no time. But if you can strategically develop resources that can help you at critical times, this approach can pay dividends for a long time.

4. Find a win to celebrate. Celebrating a small win is just what you need to alter your attitude from negative to positive. Sometimes all you need is a small push to overcome those negative feelings. I find that I have to seek these opportunities.

Next time you are frustrated and overwhelmed, put a smile on your face, and give these ideas a try.

Contentment or Driving Change?

I, like most people, want a better future. if you have a sense of optimism, you believe that the future will be better than the present. Unfortunately that means to have a better future, you have to change.

Keeping the status quo will not give you the future you desire.

But who likes change? We enjoy being content. Contentment feels good.

It is a daily battle. Charging forward with change and progress, or taking time to enjoy the life we have created for ourselves.

E.B White said it best. “If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”

I think it would be a great idea to do both. I could start by asking myself these two questions every day.

1. What can I do to improve my world today?

2. What can I do to enjoy my world today?

The answers are different for each of us. That is why I used the reference to “my world”. How would you answer those key questions for today?

For those that really want to have a better future, we have to fight through those moments of doubt, the fear of change, and the challenges. We can stuck on the enjoyment, and on our routines.

 

Does Your Team Lack Urgency?

Recently I had the opportunity to work on a small team, and I found myself lacking engagement. The leader was complaining that we needed to get to work. We were accused of having no sense of urgency. It was true.

Upon reflection, I realized my lack of urgency was due to the fact that I felt no responsibility towards achieving our goals. I was just working, following instructions, but didn’t feel like my effort mattered.

If your team needs a boost of urgency, here are a few things to consider:

1. Empowerment. Have you enabled the team to achieve the results in a manner that lets them fully utilize their talents? Are you willing to stop managing the effort, and focus on leadership? They are different. Recognize where you are, and adjust your style to match the situation.

2. Vision. Does your team know, understand, and share your vision of the result? How do you know? How often are you trying to paint the picture for them? What part do they play in the final result? Why is it important?

3. Recognition. People need recognition for their effort. The level of recognition varies by individual. Some people need public recognition. Others just need a quiet word of thanks. How well do you know the needs for the people on your team? Are you effectively keeping them engaged through your recognition efforts?

Several years ago, I led a team that thrived. We achieved our goals nearly every week. One of the highlights was a shared breakfast on Friday mornings. If we hit our targets for the week, we had breakfast delivered. It was a simple way to say thank you, and to motivate the team. The weekly attainment of goals along with our shared breakfast became a habit we all enjoyed.

It was simple. It worked. You don’t need to over complicate recognition. I find that authentic, heartfelt, appreciation works best.