NCET Biz Tips: The Power of Decision
NCET helps you explore business and technology
By Kevin Ciccotti
Kevin Ciccotti
The one thing we know about life is this – nothing changes until we take action. But what gets you to take action? Before you take any action you must first make a decision.
You’re taking action now to read this article. But before you did that you had to first make a decision to do so. You had to decide if this was going to bring value, whether you will learn from it, or if it will help you grow in some way. And once you made those decisions, you could take action and read on.
Every day we’re making decisions and taking new actions – and these are all fueled by the power of emotion. It’s up to you to cultivate the positive emotions that will support you in moving forward and creating the results you desire. In fact, research has shown that up to 95% of all decisions are emotional decisions. Seems it would be a good idea to learn how to cultivate the positive emotions that will fuel positive decisions.
Even small decisions can have a profound impact on your life. If you want to know why you are where you are today, look at the decisions you’ve made over the last 5, 10, or 15 years. Decisions shape destiny. Make no mistake about it.
There are three decisions that you’re making every moment. The first decision is what to focus on. If you don’t consciously choose where to place your focus, then your brain will simply go into the habit of what it usually focuses on. We all have patterns of what we focus on. Do you focus on what you love, or what you fear?
What you focus on, you feel. As you continue to focus on your fear, you bring it to life – the feelings and emotions literally become alive inside you. However, if you choose to focus on the possibilities or potential in a situation, it impacts your nervous system in a completely different way.
Second, once you focus on something, you have to give it a meaning. We are creatures of meaning, and our brains must answer the question, “What does this mean?” Will it mean pain or pleasure? Is this the beginning or the end? Whatever meaning you give to an experience becomes your experience.
The third decision you make all the time is “What am I going to do?” Once you focus on something, and then give it a meaning, it produces an emotion. That emotion determines what you’ll do, what action you’ll take.
If you’re angry are you going to do something different than if you’re feeling grateful? If you’re fearful, worried, or frustrated, are you going to do something different than if you feel determined, curious, or playful?
It really all comes down to these 3 decisions. They’re literally shaping your life from moment to moment. If you take control of them, then everything changes. You simply have to decide!
Learn about making more effective decisions at NCET’s Biz Cafe on March 20. NCET is a member-supported nonprofit organization that produces educational and networking events to help people explore business and technology. More info at NCETcafe.org.
Kevin Ciccotti, Certified Professional Coach, is President of Human Factor Formula, Inc. (humanfactorformula.com) and NCET’s VP of Biz Cafe (NCET.org). NCET is a member-supported nonprofit that produces networking events to help individuals and businesses explore and use technology.