By Michael Angier

A few years ago, my friend Tim Cook, the owner of a prosperous Dale Carnegie franchise, shared a decision-making technique with me that I've used many times since. I believe it can go a long way toward increasing our standards.

I was in the midst of some difficult decisions about a personal relationship, and I was very unclear about what to do. Tim taught me how to gain clarity by sorting out my "absolutes" and my "preferences".

I highly recommend it to you for finding your ideal job, hiring the best person for a job, targeting your perfect client and many other often difficult choices.

It's a straightforward process, actually. Let's use finding the ideal job as an example. Simply make a list of ALL the things you could possibly desire in a job. And then mark each one as either a preference or an absolute.

A preference is just that—something you'd like to have, but it's not ABSOLUTELY necessary. An absolute, on the other hand, is a definite requirement. It's a must. If this desire isn't met, it's an immediate deal killer.

The challenging part is to be certain about whether something is an absolute or a preference. And this is where this process really goes to work.

Say you've set $45,000 per year as an absolute. But is $45K a REAL minimum? Or would you accept less if the job offer met a whole bunch of other preferences? If so, adjust the absolute downward.

Location, schedule, work environment, type of work, flexibility, etc., can all be evaluated in this way.

By going through this process, you substantially sharpen your needs and wants and make your decision-making process much easier.

A confused mind takes no action. And this process can eliminate the confusion.

And when you're clear, your conscious and subconscious mind go to work creating exactly what you're looking for. When your desires are fuzzy and imprecise, there's not much your mind can do to help.

Give yourself the gift of clarity and watch your standards increase and your desires become fulfilled.

Raising the Bar - Part 1 can be found here.
Raising the Bar - Part 2 can be found here.
Raising the Bar - Part 3 can be found here.
 

© Copyright Success Networks International.
SuccessNet is a worldwide association committed to helping people become more knowledgeable, productive and effective. Their mission is to inform, inspire and empower people to be their best—personally and professionally. Free subscriptions, books and SuccessMark™ Cards available at
www.SuccessNet.org
Send This Page to a Friend
2048 Win-Win Way
South Burlington, Vermont 05407-2048 USA
BeYourBest@SuccessNet.org