Creating a Life, One Decision at a Time

“I got a job offer...in another state.” he said.  His tone flat as he continued, “I need your opinion. Do you think I should take it? Tell me what I should do.”

“You know that I am not going to tell you what to do.”  It is not my place to tell others what to do, especially as a coach.  

“I just want someone else to make the decision for me.” he said, revealing a mix of self-doubt and fear.  

It is not uncommon to let self-doubt and fear influence or interfere with a decision. Often fear of making the wrong decision happens when too much importance is placed on a single decision.

Being willing to make a new decision when a previous decision is no longer working will help lessen the fear and create an intentional life.

“I can’t make the decision for you. No one can. It is yours to make. This is your life.”  My response was not exactly what he wanted to hear.  

“Ugh!”  

“If you need help exploring your thoughts about the offer, and your emotions tied to those thoughts, I am here for you.”  

With that, we began. I listened and asked questions and listened some more. He talked about his interest in the job and the allure of embarking on something new. He talked about his thoughts and actions that had created the opportunity, and the options before him. With my support and encouragement, he processed his thoughts and emotions and identified additional options with an increased awareness. 

As our time together came to an end, he left with several new thoughts, new options to consider, and a new approach to decision making. Valuable tools that will help him with this particular decision and many more decisions that will come in way in the future.  

It is, after all, his life - a life that he gets to create, one decision at a time.