importance of decision making in our life essay brainly

I asked hundreds of people about their biggest life decisions. Here’s what I learned

Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Technology Sydney

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Adrian R. Camilleri does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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You make decisions all the time. Most are small. However, some are really big : they have ramifications for years or even decades. In your final moments, you might well think back on these decisions — and some you may regret.

Part of what makes big decisions so significant is how rare they are. You don’t get an opportunity to learn from your mistakes. If you want to make big decisions you won’t regret, it’s important you learn from others who have been there before.

There is a good deal of existing research into what people regret in their lives. In my current project, I decided to approach the problem from the other end and ask people about their life’s biggest decisions.

What are life’s biggest decisions?

I have spent most of my career studying what you might call small decisions: what product to buy , which portfolio to invest in , and who to hire . But none of this research was very helpful when, a few years ago, I found myself having to make some big life decisions.

To better understand what life’s biggest decisions are, I recruited 657 Americans aged between 20 and 80 years old to tell me about the ten biggest decisions in their lives so far.

Each decision was classified into one of nine categories and 58 subcategories. At the end of the survey, respondents ranked the ten decisions from biggest to smallest. You can take the survey yourself here . (If you do, your answers may help develop my research further.)

The following chart shows each of the 58 decision subcategories in terms of how often it was mentioned (along the horizontal axis) and how big the decision was considered in retrospect (along the vertical axis).

In the upper right of the chart we see decisions that are both very significant and very common. Getting married and having a child stand out clearly here.

Other fairly common big life decisions include starting a new job and pursuing a degree. Less common, but among the highest ranked life decisions, include ending a life – such as that of an unborn child or a dying parent – and engaging in self-harm.

Of course, the results depend on who you ask. Men in their 70s have different answers than women in their 30s. To explore this data more deeply, I’ve built a tool that allows you to filter these results down to specific types of respondents.

Read more: How to help take control of your brain and make better decisions

What are life’s biggest regrets?

Much can also be learned about how to make good life decisions by asking people what their biggest regrets are. Regret is a negative emotion you feel when reflecting on past decisions and wishing you had done something differently.

In 2012, Australian caregiver Bronnie Ware wrote a book about her experiences in palliative care. There were five regrets that dying people told her about most often:

I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
I wish I hadn’t worked so hard
I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends
I wish I had let myself be happier.

This anecdotal evidence has received support from more rigorous academic research. For example, a 2011 study asked a nationally representative sample of 270 Americans to describe one significant life regret. The six most commonly reported regrets involved romance (19.3%), family (16.9%), education (14.0%), career (13.8%), finance (9.9%), and parenting (9.0%).

Although lost loves and unfulfilling relationships were the most common regrets, there was an interesting gender difference. For women, regrets about love (romance/family) were more common than regrets about work (career/education), while the reverse was true for men.

What causes regret?

Several factors increase the chances you will feel regret.

In the long run it is inaction — deciding not to pursue something — that generates more regret . This is particularly true for males, especially when it comes to romantic relationships . If only I had asked her out, we might now be happily married.

Poor decisions produce greater regret when it is harder to justify those decisions in retrospect. I really value my friends and family so why did I leave them all behind to take up that overseas job?

Given that we are social beings, poor decisions in domains relevant to our sense of social belonging — such as romantic and family contexts — are more often regretted . Why did I break up my family by having a fling?

Regrets tend to be strongest for lost opportunities : that is, when undesirable outcomes that could have been prevented in the past can no longer be affected. I could have had a better relationship with my daughter if I had been there more often when she was growing up.

The most enduring regrets in life result from decisions that move you further from the ideal person that you want to be . I wanted to be a role model but I couldn’t put the wine bottle down.

Making big life decisions without regrets

These findings provide valuable lessons for those with big life decisions ahead, which is nearly everyone. You’re likely to have to keep making big decisions over the whole course of your life.

The most important decisions in life relate to family and friends. Spend the time getting these decisions right and then don’t let other distractions — particularly those at work — undermine these relationships.

Seize opportunities. You can apologise or change course later but you can’t time travel. Your education and experience can never be lost.

Read more: Running the risk: why experience matters when making decisions

Avoid making decisions that violate your personal values and move you away from your aspirational self. If you have good justifications for a decision now, no matter what happens, you’ll at least not regret it later.

I continue to ask people to tell me about their biggest life decisions. It’s a great way to learn about someone. Once I have collected enough stories, I hope to write a book so that we can all learn from the collective wisdom of those who have been there before.

Decision making

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Decision Making in Life

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Personal decision making, defining our identities, charting life trajectories, embracing accountability, strategic planning, problem solving, risk management, the decision-making process.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Decision Makingt

Self-Regulation

Social awareness, conflict resolution.

Life is a series of decisions, some small and seemingly inconsequential, others monumental and life-altering. Whether we're selecting a career path, choosing a life partner, or merely deciding on dinner, each choice shapes our life's trajectory. In this "decision making in life" essay, we'll delve into the importance of making informed decisions, understanding our identities, and the role of emotional intelligence in shaping our choices.

Every person stands at the crossroads of multiple decisions daily. The essence of personal decision-making lies in understanding who we are, what drives us, and what we value. When we possess this knowledge, we can align our choices with our intrinsic motivations, ensuring that our decisions are authentic and fulfilling.

Our identities are a fusion of our experiences, beliefs, values, and aspirations. Every decision we make, whether consciously or subconsciously, is rooted in these facets of our identity. Recognizing the core elements of our identity empowers us to make choices that resonate with our true selves, leading to a more fulfilled life.

The decisions we make are like waypoints on a map, guiding us on our life's journey. With each choice, we determine our direction, sometimes altering our path dramatically or subtly refining our route. By making informed, deliberate choices, we can ensure that our trajectory aligns with our goals and aspirations.

Decision-making is an act of responsibility. Recognizing the importance of decision-making in life means accepting that our choices have consequences. Embracing this accountability can empower us to make more informed, thoughtful decisions, considering not only immediate implications but long-term effects as well.

Strategic planning involves looking ahead, setting goals, and determining the best course of action to achieve those objectives. By employing strategic thinking in our personal lives, we can anticipate potential challenges, optimize opportunities, and navigate the intricate maze of life with foresight and purpose.

Every decision stems from a desire to solve a problem or seize an opportunity. Effective problem-solving skills enable us to dissect issues, identify potential solutions, and select the optimal course of action.

Life is unpredictable. While we can't foresee every outcome, we can manage potential risks. Assessing the pros and cons of a decision and anticipating potential pitfalls is essential. Risk management doesn't mean avoiding risks but making informed decisions, understanding potential outcomes, and being prepared for them.

Making a decision is a systematic process, and understanding its stages can help us make more informed choices.

Identifying the Problem or Opportunity : Recognize the need for a decision. Is there a problem to solve or an opportunity to exploit?
Gathering Information : Equip yourself with relevant facts, data, and insights. The better informed you are, the clearer your perspective will be.
Evaluating Options : Weigh the pros and cons of each potential decision. Consider the implications of each choice and how they align with your values and goals.
Making the Decision : After thorough evaluation, choose the best course of action.
Reflecting and Learning : After a decision is made, assess the outcome. Were the results as expected? What lessons can be drawn for future decisions?

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Decision Making

Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a pivotal role in shaping our decisions. Possessing a high EI means understanding and managing our emotions and recognizing those of others, facilitating better interpersonal interactions and informed personal decisions.

Individuals with a high EI can regulate their emotions, preventing them from making impulsive decisions. This self-regulation ensures that choices are based on logic and reason rather than fleeting emotions.

Understanding others' emotions and perspectives aids in making decisions that consider broader implications, especially when multiple parties are involved.

When faced with conflicting views or choices, those with high EI can navigate the situation, find common ground, and arrive at mutually beneficial decisions.

The "importance of decision making in life essay" cannot be understated, for it offers a window into the intricate web of choices that shape our existence. Through this essay on the importance of decision making, we comprehend the pivotal role these choices play in defining who we are and the paths we tread. The "importance of decision making in our life essay" lies not just in highlighting the weight of every choice, but in emphasizing the need for introspection, foresight, and emotional intelligence. To truly grasp the essence of this "essay on importance of decision making in life," one must reflect on one’s own life choices and their ramifications. For, as we come to understand the importance of decision making in our life essay, we learn to appreciate the delicate balance of logic, emotion, strategy, and instinct that drives each decision, large or small.

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The Psychology of Decision-Making: How We Make Choices

Listen to the article .

If we are all the sum total of our previous decisions, as is often claimed in self-help literature, it may be useful to know how we make decisions. What is behind our decision-making ? What are the elements, processes, and techniques of our decision-making? How can we make better decisions?

Decision-making is a multifaceted process that involves many variables. Most of us think that our thoughts, our reasoning, are at the core of our decision-making, and they are important but not as important as our emotions and beliefs.

When feeling happy, we are more likely to make impulsive and risky decisions. When feeling sad or angry, we are more likely to make cautious decisions.

Some people pride themselves on making purely logical, reasoning-based decisions. Do they? Can they? When you ask them why they like something that they like, the answer is clear: they don’t know. That is true for most of us: we don’t know why we like a particular type of music or art. Yes, we can generate lots of post-hoc rationalisations after factual justifications, but we just don’t understand our own preferences.

What does that mean in terms of decision-making? We make many decisions based on emotional preferences that we don’t understand and then feel the need to justify them with “logic.”

Many of our decisions are goal-based. That is, we are motivated to achieve an objective, and we decide on the methods that we think will best help us deliver. Here, too, emotional preferences play a part. There are many viable ways to achieve most objectives, and we know from research and observation that people will choose the one that they “feel” is best, not the one that is objectively best.

Almost all of our decisions are based on information. The idea of making a decision in the absence of information is beyond ridiculous. Again, the information upon which we make the decision is impacted by our emotional preferences. In this context, they are called biases.

Our biases are formed based on emotional experiences. If we have a series of bad experiences with people who share a particular spoken accent, when it comes to deciding whether to spend time with a new person with the same accent, our emotionally trained bias kicks in, and we decide to pass.

Anchoring bias applies when we tend to give too much importance to the first piece of information we obtain when making a decision. Hearing a “hostile” accent first, can and does change our decisions.

If the person with the ‘hostile’ accent does not follow our perceived rules for first contact, our confirmation bias will kick in, and that person is kicked out of our lives.

It isn’t only our emotions that make our decisions; the emotions of our friends, relatives, and peers also play a part. How many fledgling romantic relationships have been killed, stone dead, by the anticipation that others won’t ‘like’ the person of interest? How often does that happen before the person of interest has even met the others whose rejection is presumed?

Almost everyone knows that in interviews, the decision about whether to hire a person is made within seconds of the start, and usually even before any meaningful information has been exchanged. People make “liking” decisions in the absence of logic or meaningful information.

That is not to say all decisions are made at a visceral level. Some decisions cannot be made that way.

Decision-making process is a theoretical series of steps

Identification of the problem or decision. It starts with recognising that a decision needs to be made. This could be prompted by a problem, a need, or an opportunity. Here, too, emotional preference determines the awareness and framing of the problem.
Information gathering. It involves research, data analysis, seeking advice, or personal reflection. Again, preferences determine what data is gathered, how it is perceived, and how it is weighted.
Generating options. Proposing and considering courses of action seems like a purely logical process; however, the methods usually match emotional preferences.
Evaluating options. Each option is “assessed” based on supposedly objective criteria such as resource availability, feasibility, and potential consequences. In reality, weighing the pros and cons without emotional preferences is all but impossible.
Decision-making. After consideration, a choice is made, or at least that is how it appears. Often, the decision is made before the process begins or during the process. Whenever the decision is made, this is the point at which an overt commitment to a particular course of action is self- or other-signalled.
Implementation. Putting the decision into action is the next phase. Here, too, emotional preferences play a part.
Review and revision. Is theoretically the objective evaluation of the plan? In practice, the information seen, gathered, and reviewed is filtered emotionally.

If we accept that most, if not all our decisions are emotionally based, or at least influenced, how can we make better decisions? Do we want to make better decisions if ‘better’ means not having our emotional preferences central to our decision-making?

We can at least make more honest decisions if we make them based on an open awareness of our biases, values, emotions, and preferences.

By increasing our emotional self-awareness, we can spot how our emotions may be influencing our decisions. Taking a step back may be necessary to allow for more rational thinking. Here is a technique I use: the “three days in a drawer technique”. After making a key decision or creating a new article, chapter, book, or training programme, I will put it “in a drawer” for three days. Then take it out. When reading, it is as though someone other than me has written it; I can spot many of the errors that were invisible to me previously.

Seeking different perspectives can improve our decisions. It is inevitable that when we make decisions, we do so by looking at the situation through our own narrow lens; we have no other lens to use!

It can be useful to seek the views of others. Why? They will look at the decision, article, book, or other thinking through their narrow lens. You will be able to see your decisions differently through their eyes. The more perspectives you take, the more informed your decision will be.

However, here is a note of caution: if you take too many perspectives, you will delay your decision to the point where it may be redundant, or, you will hear so many different views that you are overwhelmed, confused, and demotivated.

There is a reason that some decisions are best made by one person, and other decisions are better made by a few people, and still other decisions are made by many people. To illustrate, how many best-selling books have been written by a committee? Too many views can make it impossible to decide.

Over the years, here is a lesson I have learned: before delegating a decision, consider how, when, and by whom that decision can best be made.

It makes no sense to have an “innovation committee”, if you want dynamic new ideas, because the creative process is stifled by numbers. It makes no sense for a specialist in one field to make a decision that requires input from several fields. It makes no sense to make a decision now when it is needed next year (by which time the facts may have changed).

Over the centuries, we, as a species, have examined how we make decisions. That has led to the creation of many decision-making theories and models.

Here are just a few, with some (hopefully) helpful suggestions

Emotional decision-making model. Making decisions on an emotional basis need not always be a problem. Emotions can give us useful signals to help us make decisions quickly in complex situations. Which of us has not followed our “gut feeling” and it turned out to be right for reasons that we could not have articulated at the time? Which of us has not ignored our instincts, to our cost? Perhaps it is wise to listen to our emotions when making decisions.
Pattern recognition model. Once we are competent in a field, we make decisions without logic, simply by reference to recognition of patterns we have seen before. Pattern recognition decision-making seems to develop naturally with experience. The more experience we have, the less of our decision-making is conducted by reasoning and more by pattern recognition.
Rational decision-making model. Assumes that people make decisions with perfect information by systematically evaluating all available options, considering their preferences, and selecting the option that maximises utility or satisfaction, all conducted with complete rationality. We know this is simply not possible, although it is a worthy aspiration.
The bounded rationality model. We accept that we have cognitive limitations in processing information and that we don’t make fully rational decisions. Instead, we make “good enough” decisions based on our limitations. There is no such thing as perfect information for any decision. One of the characteristics of the great decision-makers that I have coached is their ability to be comfortable making decisions with the best, but limited, information they have available.
The pain-pleasure model. It suggests that we make decisions based on our anticipation of pain or pleasure from any proposed choice or action.
Expectancy theory. Often referred to as the “Motivational Calculus Model”, it suggests that our motivation and decisions consider the relationship between our effort, performance, and outcomes: we are, it claims, motivated to decide to act in certain ways when we believe our efforts will lead to the desired performance and that our performance will lead to the results we wish.
Cognitive dissonance theory. We experience discomfort when our beliefs and actions are incongruent. To rid ourselves of this emotional pain and this dissonance, we make decisions that align with our existing beliefs and justify our actions.
Social influence model. We make many of our decisions simply because others have done so before us, and it worked out for them. The more social proof a person has to support any proposed decision, the more they are likely to make the same decision as others.
Habitual decision model. Some decisions that we make are so automated that they require no conscious thought. For instance, experienced drivers can have an in-depth conversation and drive vast distances in perfect safety, and upon arrival, they have almost no memory of the journey. Many of our decisions are made from this place of unconscious competence.
Sleep on it. Is a decision-making method that has been around for millennia and is reported to be very effective. When our brains have had a chance to rest, and the mental clouds have cleared overnight, we seem to be able to make better decisions. It may be that we can actually programme our minds to make decisions while we sleep.

Several of the ultra-high achievers that I have coached have reported using this variation of the technique: describe the decision that is to be made, ask their minds to solve the problem or make the best possible decision, and then give them the answer in the morning, and then sleep on it.

What method is best for you to make decisions? Since there is no perfect method, it might be worth using the method that is best for your well-being at any given time. That might mean considering the pros and cons of one decision, going with your gut on a second, and sleeping on a third.

Whatever method or methods you use, be kind to yourself; nobody makes perfect decisions; we can only do the best we can, from where we are, with the knowledge and skills we have.

Happy decision-making!

Professor Nigel MacLennan runs the performance coaching practice PsyPerform.

VIEW AUTHOR’S PROFILE

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Home / Essay Samples / Business / Decision Making / Making Informed Choices: the Importance of Decision Making

Making Informed Choices: the Importance of Decision Making

Category: Life , Business , Education
Topic: Decision , Decision Making , Personal Statement

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