Decision-making is a challenge. Sometimes, there are so many options that making a decision seems almost impossible.

When I let go of certain problems and sleep on them, I will often come up with a solution. Answers come to me when I listen to music. Sometimes while driving on a beautiful sunny day with my radio blaring, my brain will stop obsessing on the decision I need to make. All of a sudden, the answer will appear.

With all the stimuli, our minds work overtime. What seems so troublesome now, probably won’t even exist one year from now, and if it does, it won’t have the same magnitude. In fact, a year from now we are all going to have to make a whole new set of decisions, which sometimes brings with them certain problems.

There are those who decide to cash it in as a result of an inability to make a decision. They “check out” in one way or another by resorting to chemical abuse (alcohol, etc.) or other life-threatening habits.

It’s important not to allow anything in our lives (newspapers, television, and/or certain people) to bring us down. Negative attitudes are like diseases and if we’re not careful, we can catch it. I always ask the people in my audiences, “Is your attitude worth catching?”

You cannot believe everything people say. Yes, I was once a true Pollyanna. If a person “said” it, I thought it must be true. At the risk of sounding cynical, I no longer believe just in “words.” It is behavior that talks. If your behavior is consistent with your words, then you are believable. What comes out of your mouth is not enough. You can talk a good line, but do you follow through? Do you stick to the decisions you have made? Are you there for your friends, family and co-workers…or do you just talk about it?

If you are doing more talking than “doing” you need to look at yourself realistically. When you make decisions and stick to them, people respect you. Respect is something you earn, not deserve. I respect the people who follow through. They mean what they say and act on it.

How do you solve problems and make decisions? First, look at the problem. Review all the facts and information. Identify any short- and long-term problems that come as a result of a decision. Evaluate and prioritize problems. This is the number one decision-making step.

Secondly, determine the cause/s of the problem. Then go about finding the solutions. Identify all possible solutions. Evaluate the solutions and choose one.

Finally, formulate a solution-action plan, prepare for an evaluation of the solution-action plan and evaluate the solution-action plan.

Decision-making is not so difficult if you go about it systematically. And if that doesn’t work, turn on your radio or roll over and go to sleep. Sometimes the answers come when you least expect them.