How many decisions a day do you think busy professionals make — 1,000? 10,000? More? The exact statistic will blow your mind and can be found at the end of this post.
Decisions shape our destiny. Are you choosing the best ones possible? If you aren’t, your leadership will suffer. Your career, company, and community can also take a HUGE hit based on the decisions you make.
As an extreme example, a little over 24-hours ago, the head of CBS, Les Moonves, resigned over allegations of sexual misconduct. At least 10 women have come forward, so far, to accuses Mr. Moonves of inappropriate behavior. In July, Mr. Moonves released this statement:
"I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely."
Now here’s the good news: Like anything, decision-making is an exercise. And the more you properly exercise your decision-making “muscle”, the stronger it will get.
So let’s take a look at one, simple technique you can practice to start making better decisions, grow as a leader, and begin shaping your destiny:
30-Seconds of Action
(Are you seriously NOT going to do this?? Its 30-seconds for crying out loud.)
Healthy body = healthy mind = better decisions. Try this one small step in your daily routine. As a matter of fact, why not try it right NOW:
- Sit up straight with your shoulders back. If you are some place you can stand, even better. Stand up.
- Take five big-ass belly breaths like this: (1) Inhale through your nose and expand your belly as big as you can. The bigger the better. (2) Hold that expanded belly breath for a five-count. (3) Exhale through your nose and contract your belly. Visualize pulling your bellybutton to your spine! Exhale deeeeeeply. Remember, do this for five full breaths.
- Do this at least three times per day. Before you open your laptop in the morning. Before you start work after lunch. And before any big meeting, phone call, or decision you need to make.
Because decisions DO shape our destiny. If you don’t believe me, look in the mirror. You decided you’d be that. If you don’t like what you see, make a great decision to turn your destiny around. Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to do it all overnight. Practice the 30-second breathing exercise above as way to build momentum.
And besides, research has shown that — on average — busy professionals are faced with a whopping thirty thousand decisions per day. There HAS to be room for improvement, right?! Imagine if you improve your decision-making skills by one percent or ten percent or fifty percent even. I can’t wait to see what your destiny looks like then!
If you have any questions on the action steps listed here or have any other innovative ways to make better decisions, post a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @mpveltri. I’d love to hear from you.
And if you liked the ideas presented here, please take a look at my website where you can find more information on my dynamic business leadership keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and peak performance consulting: https://michaelveltri.com/about