One often overlooked trademark of a successful person is that of being a good decision maker. Successful people are able to make concise decisions and quickly move on to the next task. They don’t linger on a thought and spend days thinking “what if this” or “what if that”. Indecisiveness is a weak quality to possess.
I’ve witnessed friends spending months trying to decide on a career move. They rattled off their pros and cons lists to me countless times. One day it was “I should do this”. The next day it was “but I really think I should…”. Mind you, they had likely already “checked out” of their job long before this.
I once quit a job in the middle of writing a yearly self evaluation. I was listing some concerns I had about the company and my department. I suddenly realized I had written the same concerns a year earlier and nothing had been done about them. I never finished writing that eval. I walked into my boss’s office and gave my notice. No next job lined up. No resumé up to date. I just decided it was best for me to move on and took immediate action on it.
Now, no one is ever going to make the correct decision 100% of the time, but successful individuals know how to counter the flawed ones. They adapt. They re-evaluate. They pivot.
In my case I was fortunate to land on my feet and begin a successful consulting business. But had I not, I was more than ready to do whatever it took to not regret my decision to quit. And I never have.
When you find yourself in doubt try to think back to what your initial gut reaction was. More than likely that’s the way to go. The human brain has a remarkable ability to simultaneously process massive amounts of data. It has come to a conclusion long before you’ve consciously thought it over.
I’ve seen it happen time and again at the poker tables. The action comes around to you and you’re in a tough spot and need to decide if the other guy has a hand or not. The gut knows he’s got it. You go back and forth. He raised here. He checked there. He bit his lip last time he had it. He didn’t this time. You “just know” he’s bluffing. You call. He smiles and rakes the monster pot his way. Trust your gut!
Not every decision you make as an entrepreneur is going to be an easy one. But break it down, trust your instincts, and take action. Use your Fastlane experience to pass up your competition while they’re busy mulling things over.
I’ve witnessed friends spending months trying to decide on a career move. They rattled off their pros and cons lists to me countless times. One day it was “I should do this”. The next day it was “but I really think I should…”. Mind you, they had likely already “checked out” of their job long before this.
I once quit a job in the middle of writing a yearly self evaluation. I was listing some concerns I had about the company and my department. I suddenly realized I had written the same concerns a year earlier and nothing had been done about them. I never finished writing that eval. I walked into my boss’s office and gave my notice. No next job lined up. No resumé up to date. I just decided it was best for me to move on and took immediate action on it.
Now, no one is ever going to make the correct decision 100% of the time, but successful individuals know how to counter the flawed ones. They adapt. They re-evaluate. They pivot.
In my case I was fortunate to land on my feet and begin a successful consulting business. But had I not, I was more than ready to do whatever it took to not regret my decision to quit. And I never have.
When you find yourself in doubt try to think back to what your initial gut reaction was. More than likely that’s the way to go. The human brain has a remarkable ability to simultaneously process massive amounts of data. It has come to a conclusion long before you’ve consciously thought it over.
I’ve seen it happen time and again at the poker tables. The action comes around to you and you’re in a tough spot and need to decide if the other guy has a hand or not. The gut knows he’s got it. You go back and forth. He raised here. He checked there. He bit his lip last time he had it. He didn’t this time. You “just know” he’s bluffing. You call. He smiles and rakes the monster pot his way. Trust your gut!
Not every decision you make as an entrepreneur is going to be an easy one. But break it down, trust your instincts, and take action. Use your Fastlane experience to pass up your competition while they’re busy mulling things over.
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