Decision Making: The Thought Process

Decision Making: The Thought Process

The words that go through your head when you want to make a decision are; yes, no, or maybe. Decision making process is an everyday occurrence because as humans we have to make decisions, starting from what to have for breakfast, what to wear, who to text, and at what time, and many other others. At the end of the day, you find that you have made countless decisions. Every decision you make has consequences, so make sure you make the best decision for every situation. Nevertheless, we are humans and at times, things like emotions and fear can influence our decision-making process. In some instances, we get so confused, and some of us might end up tossing a coin.

The Process

During a decision making process, your mind goes through a list of the probable solutions to the problem at hand. Your use intuition or reasoning while going through that list. Some decisions require sober judgment, for instance when deciding what to major in college, while others require impulse feeling, for instance, what to have for lunch.

Intuition

Intuition is also expressed as ‘gut feeling’. Intuition combines your previous experiences and your individual values. When you intend to make a decision, it is important to consider intuition because it is the knowledge, which you have accumulated in your life. We all learn the lessons from our experiences or from other people’s experiences. However, the most influential experiences are the ones we have gone through in our own lives. Intuition can cloud our judgment especially if you have unfounded experiences that can result from imagined fears. It is worth noting that during a decision making process, it is important to examine your gut feeling closely. If you find justifiable reasoning for deciding for or against something, then you can decide with precision.

Reasoning

Reasoning involves using data to decide. If you intend to make a decision at that moment, you need to reason out the odds, ignore the emotional aspect that can influence your judgment. For instance, when deciding whether to invest in a certain business, you need sober judgment based on facts. To evaluate the facts and establish the best investment to make. The reasoning process overlooks the emotional aspect of decision-making and it can affect the process of decision-making process.

Decision Making

The ultimate goal of any decision making process is to get the best out of every situation in order to avoid negative consequences. In this regard, when you plan to make a decision, you can apply both reason and intuition to achieve the best outcome. Ideally, you can start with reason, and evaluate all the facts at hand. Once you have made a certain decision, based on the facts, you can turn to intuition. Establish if the answer feels right or not. If it does not feel right, work on it from another perspective because emotional commitment is important during the implementation of the decision made.