Life Is All About Decisions

Peter Drucker suggests that the ability to make a good decision is a skill.

The very first thing that came to my mind when I read that quotation was:


‘Can someone please define what a GOOD DECISION is? ’

Is a good decision meant to benefit the individual in some way or if need be, must their consideration for others outweigh everything?

Must the individual assess what they will gain from the end of the experience or must the reward be instant? Is a good decision based on the outcome or the journey?

These concepts that  I'm throwing out are not relevant in all decision making processes, but for example, if an individual must endure financial struggles for a while, in the hope that an investment yields fruit, was the decision good because they had faith in a potential positive outcome or does it only become a ‘good decision’ when they begin to gain interest from the investment?

Now, I am no guru but from what I can see, especially living in a western society, we have become OBSESSED with quick gratification and pleasure, nobody wants to wait or work for anything and I feel this has impacted the way we approach our decisions making. You may be thinking ‘I don’t agree’ but let me set the scene for you using food as an example. Years and years ago before the massive boom of restaurants and take away places, good food took time to cook and people wouldn’t fuss much if they knew a homemade lasagne was on the menu! but with the introduction of fast food places like McDonalds, KFC and Burger King people now know that they can satisfy their hunger immediately with a meal that will be given to them almost instantly upon purchase. This quick food boom has affected people to the point that if i go for a sit down meal where food taking time to cook is acceptable, we become fidgety and some of us complain that ‘it wasn’t quick enough!’ putting restaurant owners in the position of having to try and deliver food quicker than what is possible. We love to satisfy a need as quick as we can, therefore when we are making a decision we may subconsciously sway towards the thing that’s going to make us feel better quicker even though it may be for a short amount of time. Things like gambling and betting all support this very thing.

Its just amazing how a small decision can affect so much in the long run, an extra 3 wings on top of my meal at KFC may develop into a habit for future purchase which may contribute to excessive eating, which then means those 3 wings matter. A girl giving her number to a guy who later becomes her abuser – does giving out the number then become a mistake?

Lets look at more commitment based decisions like marriage and starting a family. If your kids turn out well but the relationship breaks down, does the initial union of both parties remain a 'bad' decision or does the outcome of their union have the power to save the way it is looked at. We can even flip it the other way, if a couple are very much in love and have children that do not reflect the morals they were brought up with or maybe do not turn out how they would wish, does it put a strain on how successful the marriage is? These are just concepts I'm throwing out , just trying to understand at which point does it become good!

Even speaking from experience, getting into relationships or 'getting to know someone', there have been situations I have found myself in that may not have started, ended, or even ever been well! Yet I have grown so much from going through it and wouldn't change it. So does that then me we must benefit from decisions in some kind of way? Whether it be 'learning a lesson', 'physical gain', 'emotional gain' does it have to have a positive influence in the end for it to be deemed 'good'?

WHAT MAKES A GOOD DECISION!!!!!

Many say the gift of being able to make decision means we must accept the consequences. For those of us that have the freedom to choose what we wear, eat, how far we go in education, what we say, how we think, we have to be grateful. The ability to make a decision is not a right for some.

Don’t be a slave to a concept


Don’t be a slave to media


Don’t be a slave to culture


These things can influence decision making but don’t allow them to make the ultimate choice – the answer lies in you.


It may sound like I babbled on for ages but I’ve taken one key thing from this.





I have the power to decide what i choose to accept and what I don’t; sometimes society dictates what we should think and how we should go about it!





Is making a good decision a skill? Who knows!!!!

But all I can say is: He who knows himself is a master of his own mind




Priscilla