As you move through life you’ll have lots of decisions to make.

It can be tempting to rush into research mode. To search for an “expert” or spend hours on Google or Chat GPT.

Sure it makes sense to gather a reasonable amount of data, just don’t get stuck there.

The best thing you can do is ask yourself for the answer.

Make your brain go to work for you.

When you ask someone or something else for the answer, you lose the opportunity to build this muscle and become dependent on others.

This doesn’t mean every decision you make will immediately give you the result you want, but every decision will give you a result which you can evaluate and modify.

Trust in your ability to learn. This ability is valuable in every area of life and it can never be taken away from you.

The next time you have a decision to make or a question about what to do, try this:

1. Write it down
2. Answer it
3. Take action
4. Evaluate the results
5. Iterate to refine

The most successful people in business follow this process. They get faster and faster each time they do it.

Don’t listen if you hear your brain say, “I don’t know.”

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the result you want the first time.

Self-recrimination adds zero value so don’t waste any time beating yourself up for “mistakes.”

Take full responsibility for your evolution. Be willing to not know and do it anyway.

When it comes to making decisions, there is no one right decision. There’s the decision you make, and you make it right with the way you think, feel and act.

The best litmus test is “Do I like my reasons for this decision? Would I be proud to tell my reasons to someone I respect?”

Not good reasons: hiding, escaping, avoiding, playing it safe, pleasing someone else

Good reasons: learning, growing, evolving, contributing, feeling joy

The purpose of life is to grow and evolve. One of the best ways to do this is to make your own decisions, learn from them and move forward.