Blog: Is the Right “You” Making Your Decisions?

Is the Right “You” Making Your Decisions?

Every day we make numerous decisions, some of them with a very brief impact on our lives and some with a long-term impact. While what you choose to have for breakfast doesn’t have any long-term consequences, a decision whether or not to change jobs or careers is one that could affect the rest of your life. The question that you need to ask is, “which ‘you’ is making your decisions?”

Is the “you” that is making your decisions a you that is stuck in the past and motivated mostly by events that have already occurred? Whether it is anger, fear, jealousy, or something else, our emotions can hold us in the past.

Or, maybe you are making decisions only in the present, motivated by what is easiest right now, or what is best for right now, ignoring any future impact that your decisions might have.

Finally, perhaps you are making decisions as a wiser version of yourself with the perspective of a few months or a few years in the future. This is the “you” who is able to look back on current decisions with the wisdom and perspective of time and what will be best for you in the long run.

Each one of these perspectives will make some decisions. What you want to order in a restaurant maybe should be a future you – not too far in the future, but a you who will decide if the few minutes of enjoying dessert is worth it. But without question, the future you should certainly be making decisions that will have a significant impact on your life. Individuals (and companies, too) can find themselves in difficult situations when long-term decisions are made with too much weight given to the present or the past.

It bears repeating to ask the title question, “Is the right ‘you’ making your decisions?”

Brian Hock, CMA, CIA