Cartoon of businessman saying a lot of factors before decision.

Decisions! Decisions! Here’s another wrinkle on the challenge of making decisions.

Decision #3 is the partner decision; as in I cannot commit to invest in this or do that without consulting my partner (spouse, significant other, third cousin twice-removed).

And you may indeed have an agreement with your partner to consult with each other on any significant investments of time or money.

So here are my suggestions for dealing with the partner decision.

  1. Get really clear on whether or not you truly want to do this (whatever this is), and if it is truly in your best long term interest to do it.
  2. Tune in to how you feel to see if checking in with your partner is truly necessary or if it is really an excuse not to move forward.
  3. If you know you want to do it, yet also feel that you really do need to extend to your partner the courtesy of consulting with him or her about what you want to do; then make a 3 way appointment so that your partner can ask any pertinent questions of the person offering the opportunity that you are considering.
  4. If you are really clear that this decision is the right one for you, then instead of asking your partner for permission, ask your partner for support. You could simply say: I am doing this, and I would really appreciate your support.

And finally, it really pays to be wary of that sneaky saboteur, self-doubt. It usually seems to show up when we are thinking about doing something we have never done before.

In these situations, it always helps to remind ourselves that all growth happens outside of our comfort zone.

When we stay inside our comfort zone for too long because it feels safer to do so, one day we can wake up to find that our comfort zone has become our jail.

One leads a far more rewarding life if one heeds the old Zen saying: Leap and the net will appear.

Here’s wishing you many exciting leaps into the future of achieving your goals and realizing your dreams.

P.S. The text at the bottom of the cartoon reads: Of course we can make fast decisions . . . once we have considered the 4872 features.

P.P.S. Do you have any suggestions for handling roadblocks when it comes to running a decision by a partner?