Decisions Decisions
From the moment we wake up, we are bombarded with decision making tasks. On a day to day basis, we are constantly making decisions that fall on a spectrum of difficulty. For simplicity's sake, easy decisions can be something like whether you're going to brush your teeth in the morning or not. Decisions like this are no brainers. You don't have much of an alternative option and you are more inclined to choose to brush your teeth than not. An example of a more difficult, but not challenging decision would be something along the lines of what you decide to wear that day. There are several variables that you will have to think about such as the weather, your mood, the occasion, comfort level, cleanliness, whether you want to impress someone, the colour, available accessories etc. Your wardrobe decision relies on these variables, thereby taking a longer period of time to decide.
Then there are those decisions that are extremely difficult to make because your variables have consequences that create a domino effect. I am currently working with a client who is fed up at her place of employment. She has gotten to a point where the job no longer brings her joy. As a result of sending out numerous resumes, she managed to snag a few job offers. Like anything, each offer comes with their own list of pros and cons, all very different from each other. Her dilemma is this: Choosing any of these jobs would require her to learn a new skill and work her way from the bottom. The pay is less than what she is currently making, but there is potential for more depending on how quickly she builds on these skills. However, if she stays are her current job, she maintains her seniority and pay grade and there is potential for promotion, but that would require her to spend more time at the office.
If she decides to quit her current job for a new job, this is the scenario we're looking at:
New job -> Endure three weeks training -> Get tested for new knowledge -> Apply what she has learned on the job -> Work on a part time basis -> Be monitored heavily during her 6 months probation period -> Pass her 6 months probation before working full time -> Who knows how long she'll have to wait until she gets a raise -> repeat cycle to move up the ladder.
The idea of having a new job sounds great, but her training is unpaid and until she passes her training, she does not get compensated. When she does get compensated, it will only be on a part time basis. Currently, her life is set up in a way where her expenses are those that are similar to that of someone who is working full-time, so how will she make ends meet for 6 months?
Another option is the stay at her job for as long as possible until a better job comes her way... but how long will that take? How much will she put up with until a job (if a job) comes her way? How much happiness does she have to sacrifice before a new job emerges?
The thing is, we just never really know how things will turn out. Our indecisiveness comes from various places. It could come from a need for control where we will not make a decision unless we are able to dictates what happens next. It could come from fear, the fear that our next step can be the "wrong" move. Our hesitance in making a move can come from our discomfort in stepping away from our comfort zone. Care for others can also make or break a decision. How will my decision affect others? Obviously with difficult decisions like these, it takes time to come up with an answer. Regardless, we will get to a point where we have no choice but to decide, so why postpone it?
My suggestion is this: Give yourself time to weigh out the pros and cons, but also give yourself a deadline. Your deadline can be a specific date (by August 30th, I will make my decision), feeling (I will quit when this job no longer gives me satisfaction) or instinctual feeling ( I will wait until my gut tells me to take action). In this way, you have the freedom of looking at your options, but at the same time, you are forcing yourself to make that decision in a timely manner.