Do you know what a good decision is?

Is it something you decide after you see the results of the choice you made? “Oh look at that, everything worked out fabulously. Great decision.”

Is it determined based upon some amount of information to factor into it? “The research shows me this is the right thing to do. Such a good choice.”

Maybe it is based on what everyone else thinks about it? “Survey says … smart move.”

Nope. A good decision is simply one that you are comfortable with your reasons for.

And that’s good news, too. If this weren’t the case, your comfort and satisfaction would be based on people’s reactions or things in the world that you do not have control of. If you are happy with your logic and intuition, then you can get right to figuring out next steps. When you’re at ease with yourself, you’re capable of accomplishing so much. It takes mental energy to question your judgement, and your imagination gets zapped when you’re worrying about things. If you’re making a decision free of fear or desperation or manipulation, you’re able to open up to rich possibilities. If you’ve made a choice that comes into question, you can see the value in the learning and keep progressing.

This isn’t to say don’t consider anyone else’s input or investigate options. This also isn’t justifying an inordinate amount of analysis, or not committing to something once you’ve chosen it. This is about making a choice with a clean conscience and liking yourself for it no matter what. Then you’ll see what you’re really capable of, so much learning and achieving great things.

This applies to everything: big items like setting work priorities to selecting candidates to hire, to other seemingly less impactful things like figuring out what to do with your free time tonight or composing a response to someone. A classic example right now: me writing this post. Other options include working late, exercising, spending time with my family, preparing meals, putting a puzzle together. Others may be quite passionate with their feedback about my decision, and some may celebrate it – but none of that really matters. If I’m honest with myself and have my own back with what I’ve decided, then I keep going and experimenting and accept myself all along the way.