Do Decisions Make You Squirrelly?

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A gang has taken up residence in our garage - a four footed furry kind of gang. We live in a beautiful older neighbourhood with lots of mature trees and they, of course, attract squirrels. In the beginning it was kind of cute to see the occasional squirrel running along the fence and sometimes stopping to sneak a treat from the bird feeders.

This past spring though, the occasional squirrel turned into frequent squirrels and by the summer there was a whole gang. Along the way we had several conversations that started something like, "We really should do something about..." but we never took any action. There always seemed to be some excuse for why we shouldn't do something about the expanding squirrel population. Everything from they're cute to not disturbing the babies to enjoying nature and on and on. All well and good except that each day they were becoming more of nuisance.

If only...

The simple solution was to trap the squirrels and relocate them to a wooded area. But we never made the decision. As fall approached and with the gang firmly entrenched in the garage, the excuse shifted to there not being enough time for them to build new nests. If we'd only moved them in the spring, they'd be quite happily set up for winter somewhere else.

If you let it, making a decision can drive you downright squirelly. It's easy to get caught up in a circular conversation of "what if this" and "what if that". How many times have you turned a decision over and over in your mind but never actually took action? Chances are your indecision led to the problem becoming larger than it was in the first place.

Why do you set yourself up like that?

It may be that you are concerned about making the RIGHT decision. Think about a decision that you are currently weighing. Is fear of choosing the wrong option holding you back? The truth is most of the time you won't know whether a decision was the right one until you actually take action.

When confronted with a problem, gather whatever information you need, review your options and then do something. You're making the best choice with the knowledge and experience you have at the time. Of course, with hindsight you might choose differently but remember that in the future you are looking back at past decisions from a different perspective that likely includes new information or experience.

Go ahead and decide.

Practice with smaller, less important decisions - what to order in a restaurant or which movie to go to. With larger decisions, consider that the time and energy you expend mulling it over could actually be greater than the consequences you might experience. Most decisions that you make are not life-altering. Except for those squirrels!

Read 5 Tips for Decision Making.

Laurel Vespi, certified life coach, award winning author and chief executive guru of stone circle coaching, ignites businesses & individuals to new levels of CHANGE. Laurel works with clients internationally, providing unconventional yet practical tips that make the seemingly impossible... possible! Sign up for Laurel's free ezine and get a free guidebook to blissful living at www.stonecirclecoaching.com