Thursday, May 12, 2011

Decisions, decisions

Living in a state of flux is so very hard for me, which is to say I probably have some good company in this regard.  Our house has been for sale for just under a year and it's been hard not having an end in sight to our moving process.  But, this week we finally decided on a plan B and will set it into play next week.  We are still hoping for an offer to come in the next couple of months because we have had a lot of recent house showings but decided to start working on plan B next week.  And I feel great!

The amazing thing is that just making the decision - even if it is not the ideal one - feels so liberating.  I find this is also true when deciding on treatment or health care for our daughter.  I tend to be the type of Mom that goes overboard on researching treatments - reading journal publications, consulting with our doctors, talking with other parents, praying for guidance.  When I'm deep in the process of sorting through the information I often feel overwhelmed and unsure.  And because the plan usually entails spending a lot of time on the phone with our insurance companies for approvals it just adds to my sense of pressure to pick the right path (no way I want to do that more than once!).

There is a technique that I've used to make my decision making process easier.  It's a process I like and I've pulled my husband into it because we make decisions for our daughter together.  The process starts with asking if we make {decision A} and we're not satisfied with it, what is the worst that will happen.  I also ask if we choose not to pursue {decision A} would we look back in the future and wonder what if we chose {decision A}.  Finally, we ask if we didn't choose {decision A} and decide at a later time to pursue {decisionA} would it still be an option?  We ask the same questions for the other top contenders.  Sometimes there is a clear decision, sometimes there are a few appropriate options.  But, even then, there is usually one that fits better into our lifestyle, budget, schedule, etc.   

I know there are as many decision making processes as there are decisions to make, but this is the one that works for me us.  And, I always find, that once the decision is made I sleep a little easier and breathe a little better.  That, and there is always another decision to make coming up just around the corner.....

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