Decisive (adj.) ¹, “having the quality or power of determining,” from Medieval Latin decisivus, from Latin decis-, past participle stem of decidere “to cut off; decide”. Meaning “marked by prompt determination” is from 1736. To achieve anything worthwhile in life, you must first decide what you want, stay committed to your goal and relentlessly execute by taking massive action daily. Scottish mountainer William Hutchison Murray put it best when he said in The Scottish Himalayan Expedition:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

It is estimated that the average adults makes about 35,000 conscious decisions ² daily while a child makes about 3,000 decisions daily (Sahakian & Labuzetta, 2013). According to researchers at Cornell University, we make on average 226.7 food decisions daily. (Wansink and Sobal, 2007). ³ Most of the decisions that we make is habitual and in autopilot, the key to getting things done is to make more deliberate and conscious decisions daily. Our decisions and choices on a daily basis determines the direction of our life. Good decisions leads to good habits & fewer regret, Bad decisions leads to bad habits and more regrets.

better-decision-fewer-regrets-andy-stanley

Every decision becomes a permanent part of our stories. That being the case, we should stop at every decision-making juncture and consider the story we want to tell. Perhaps more compelling, we should consider what story we want told about us. The good news is that you get to decide. But you decide one decision at a time because you write the story of your life . . . one decision at a time.

Our decisions determine the direction and quality of our lives. Your decisions have shaped the direction and quality of your life so far—for good and for . . . well, maybe not so good. You are where you are for the most part because of decisions you’ve made.

Good questions lead to better decisions. Your decisions determine the direction and quality of your life. Your decisions serve as the framework for the story of your life. So write a good one. While there’s nothing you can do about the decisions you’d choose to go back and unmake, remember this: Your regrets are only part of your story. They don’t have to be the story. Your past should remind you. It doesn’t have to define you.

You want to exercise more, decide, eat more healthy food, decide, stay positive and optimistic, decide. The choice is yours and once the decision has been made, you can change the direction of your life at any point. You can either decide to be bitter or better, let the situation lessen you or you learn the lessons, get the message or you stay stuck with the mess. Our life is a series of choices and decisions made at one point or the other. The decision to eat healthy, stay positive, leave your comfort zone, exit a toxic relationship, start a business, quit a draining job etc. Most of the decisions that change the course of our life are usually tough decision but the decision has to be made for progress to be made.

If you continuously do what is easy, you life will be hard but if you do what is hard, you life will be easy. Decisiveness is a muscle that needs to be stretched continuously, if you don’t use it, you lose it.

Meditation

Daily Calm with Tamara Levitt – Lakes
Tranquillity and Receptivity of Lakes: Like the lake, we can receive anything in our experience without rejecting it and resume our form without making a fuss. Allow the image of the lake to expand into your mind and posture, relaxed and calm, just as the lake flows and pulls into the basin.
Stay with the lake as change appears all around it. When the lake is clear and still, notice the reflection cast across its surface. When the wind stirs the surface, and waves repeal away the reflection through rain and wind, through sun and stars. Recognize the deep water beneath the vast reservoir of awareness. Sometimes forgotten but always there.