What do you do if you're faced with a difficult career decision and need to make it confidently?

Have you ever looked at a restaurant menu and there are multiple choices that look amazing? If you look and look and can't decide, no matter what you order, you end up wishing you'd gotten something else. What you should do there is the same advice I'd give here: Make a decision, close the menu, and don't look back. Something great is coming your way!

Before you gather facts, know what's really most important to you in the grand scheme of things. What are your highest values? What does success, work satisfaction, life satisfaction really mean to you and, if relevant, your family? Knowing this about yourself and your situation, and what trade-offs you would or would not be willing to make, will help you know what facts are most relevant and important for you to gather. They will also help you apply relative weights to the *eventual* pro and con type lists you might create. Without understanding your values and requirement, and their relative importance to you, "pro-and-con" thinking can quickly become circular.

I start by reminding myself that there are no 'wrong' or 'right' decisions. Different decisions have different outcomes. Next, write down all my current thoughts, feelings, fears and assumptions about the decision. I identify the feelings these thoughts evoke and allow myself to acknowledge and feel them. Next, I visualize myself rising about the thoughts, feelings etc., connect to my superconscious mind and vision for the outcome that I would love - the big picture creation - and then ask myself what action is aligned with my vision.

O primeiro passo é refletir sobre todas as opções disponíveis. Eu analiso os prós e contras de cada escolha, considerando como elas se alinham com meus objetivos de carreira e os valores da empresa. Em situações desafiadoras, busco orientação, mas levo em consideração a minha intuição e experiência.

One thing I found was helpful reflection on my career path. I would break down my skills into there outcomes. Soft, medium, strong. From that i consider my transferable skills and aim on which areas i can see fit to apply on the job. Also research other technical courses that would better my chances.

Here's my suggestions: 1. Define the Problem (Honestly) Get to the heart of why this decision feels so tricky. Understanding the source of your hesitation is the first step. 2. Don't Go It Alone Seek perspective and support. A trusted mentor, career coach, or even a thoughtful friend can offer valuable insights and help you clarify your own thoughts. 3. Prioritise Your Values Knowing your non-negotiables will guide you when options don't perfectly align with every ideal. 4. Gather Intel, Fill the Gaps If it's a job offer, clarify company culture and specifics of the role. 5. Tame the "What Ifs" Instead of chasing perfection, aim for a "good enough" decision with the information you have.

Gather facts within to begin. The inner voice is silent but always present. The secret is listening within. Trust it and it will be a great source of wisdom. Just like experts and friends, it knows what you might not have realised. Deciding on something big is easier like this. At the point of decision, listen inwards. If there’s even a little bit of inner conflict and resistance, explore it. Let it be the teacher.

Everyone in our world has a inner guide, their higher self. Guidance to me has always been explored the facts and then discover your inner meaning and follow that The more you practice following your guidance and more clear it will become less you can follow it was great confidence.

With the experience gained over these years of my career, I have already made decisions of this type, changing roles, equipment, and responsibilities. The best way to make this happen in the first place is to have a strong feeling of resilience, and not to be discouraged by the difficulties that will appear. Secondly, having a family base, where the comfort of your home and your family will be waiting for you when you arrive after a difficult day, no one does anything alone. And finally, do your best, learn, ask questions, collaborate, and don't hide from work, you will always be watched, and even if you aren't, do it for yourself.

Seek opinions from people who have faced similar situations, they can provide you, valuable comments, further guidance and/or different visions. Conduct a thorough evaluation of the potential outcomes for each option, whether it’s “option A,” “option B,” or any other choice. Take your time, any difficult decision cannot be taken as light action, remember that difficult decisions require thoughtful consideration; avoid rushing into them. Be prepared, know all the information around this decision, take a deep breath, and be brave, you can do it!

"Difficult" career decisions are only really difficult when we don't know what we value OR we are making incorrect assumptions about what the decision involves . To make the decision that is best for you - strip down the options to the facts rather than your perception of the facts. Then look at your core values (If you do a search for "values" you will find a list of about 300 or so on the internet - go through this scanning them all and highlight the ones that you think are important. Then out of the 20 or so you have selected decide which 5 are IMPERATIVE in your life to find your core values). Then look at the "difficult" decision and decide whether this would take you towards or away from them. Trust your "gut" feel too!

When considering what you want, don't forget that it's okay for your priorities to change. In each chapter of our your career, you've optimized for different things. Ask yourself, "what am I optimizing for right now?" as a way to let go of expired goals.

When you are unsure about something, it simply means you need to get more information and reflect. Expand your mind to open up possibilities with 4 simple questions. (It's called the quantum linguistics) 1. What would happen if you did make this tough decision? 2. What wouldn't happen if you did make this tough decision? 3. What would happen if you didn't make this tough decision? 4. What wouldn't happen if you didn't make this tough decision? When you're moving through these questions don't think about them, just go with your first thought - this is the answer. You can also do this exercise with someone else whom you trust. It might help you to reflect deeper.

Reflect on your core values, your priorities and your 'Why', and allow these to guide every decision you make, career or otherwise. Being guided by your bigger picture in this way allows you to let go of the need for confidence in making individual right choices - you instead focus on continuing to make choices aligned to them and trust that over time this will steer you in the right direction. The collective decisions mean more than a single choice.

For me personally, you have to think about the pros and cons of your decision. You have to weigh things out, at the end of the day it is only you who can decide for yourself not other people. You have to consider as well that there will be sacrifices when making a difficult decision, there’s a saying goes ‘’ No guts no glory’’ sometimes you just have to make that decision and take the leap. Lastly prayer, will be your guiding light in making that decision.

When faced with challenging career choices, I analyze options, weigh pros and cons, and seek advice from mentors. I value aligning decisions with personal goals and intuition, ensuring confidence in every step. Through thorough research and consideration of long-term implications, I make informed choices. I believe in trusting my instincts and understanding the bigger picture, fostering confidence in my career trajectory.

Always bring back the opportunity to your core values. If you don’t know your core values then take time now to really unlock and identify them, personally I found it beneficial to use a coach but there are lots to online tools can support you. I believe it’s important that you don’t try and identify your values when you’re faced with a a choice as it can tint your view & this exercise is best when you’re in a neutral or happy work/ life situations . When you need to make a choice confidently you can ensure that the opportunity matches your values l, if it doesn’t then it’s not for you and you can confidently walk away. For example, my non negotiable core values are authenticity, autonomy and family happiness.

Take a step back from the situation. Allow yourself to visualise the future you, your ideal day - to dream without boundaries. What is present? How does that feel? What work are you doing, and what role does work play in your life? Now, return back to the career decision on hand. How does that fit into your perfect day and ideal self? This process can be very helpful with the support of a coach to witness you and reflect what they are hearing.

Deep reflection on what aligns with your career goals, passions, interests and growth prospects is very important before you conclude on that critical career decision. Such decisions should not be made in haste or the consideration of a few pecks that may only last a few months.

Another thing to consider when making a difficult choice is whether your choice brings you closer to where you want to be or farther away. Sometimes when a choice seems "difficult" it's because we're choosing between options that don't align with what we ultimately want. It can seem like we're "settling" or going the "wrong" way. Getting our long-term goals does not always involve a straight line. There can be stops along the way or places where we have to take what seems like a detour. Take some time to figure out the possible benefits of each option.

Consulting with seniors or experienced professionals in the field you're interested in can be valuable for gaining insights, advice, and guidance on making a career transition. They can provide you with valuable perspectives, share their experiences, and offer suggestions to help you make informed decisions about your career path. However, ultimately, the decision should be based on your own interests, skills, and goals.

É muito importante olhar o problema por uma outra perspectiva. Muitas vezes o problema é menor do que imaginamos, mas quando estamos vivendo o problema é difícil enxergar.

Consulting others can be a great way to check your thinking for untested and possibly inaccurate assumptions. The question for others, though, should never be "what should I do?" Rather, be curious about "what might I be missing in my analysis?" Talk not just to people who know you and your values, but people who know the role, or who have had to cope with some of the things you may see as potential drawbacks to one option or another. How might you mitigate (or take a new perspective on) potential drawbacks to make each option as appealing as it can be? Aim to compare the best reasonably attainable cases for each option, not the best case scenario of one vs the worst case scenario of the other.

Consulting others can be of great help when you face a possibility of changing your carreer. It is useful to consult different people with different profiles to get a broader picture of the pros and cons.

I make it a rule to have a few trusted "go-to" perspective people, at least one of whom thinks differently than I do. This can be a great way to see things you might have missed on your own.

Consult others on you. I believe is a very important step to career changes or insight on how people see you. Also having a mentor or someone who is an expert on the skill you seek is great way to find insight and throught on areas to work towards. Then u can break down the task into more manageable step to goal on.

Pessoas-chave em nossas vidas podem sempre ser consultadas, tanto no ambiente corporativo quanto no familiar, desde que haja alguém com representatividade e sabedoria para aclarar nossos caminhos. É muito mais fácil tomar uma decisão importante quando alguém nos ajuda a enxergar novas e boas alternativas, uma vez que sozinhos podemos nos achar muito mais limitados, mesmo com toda nossa experiência e estudo. A melhor parte é quando alguém muito caro ao nosso coração traz uma solução simples e funcional, um caminho possível e enriquecedor, nos convencendo a deixar de lado as possibilidades a princípio tão complexas às quais imaginamos que se devia recorrer.

It's important to consult other people because, because you don't always have the time or the skills to solve a specific problem yourself, getting support in such cases is the best way to avoid remaining isolated and to benefit from an outside view of your problem. It's also a good way of capitalising on the knowledge of others and saving precious time... Because you don't have all the skills/knowledge on the ins and outs of the subject. Because we have personal beliefs that sometimes limit us, and others who don't have the same beliefs can help us unblock the situation. To open up the possibilities, these consultative opinions ultimately enable us to make a more informed choice and a better decision.

One way to weigh your options is to balance logic with intuition. Find some time alone where you can sit with each option. Read over the pros and cons, look at your decision matrix and consider your current priorities. Make sure they all make sense. Then, close your eyes and picture yourself facing a fork in the road with each option as a path. Imagine yourself walking down each path for just a minute. Pay attention to any feelings like excited energy or emotions like disappointment. Why do this? Ask most leaders and people who have successful careers of all kinds and they will tell you that a portion of their biggest choices involved intuition. Sometimes making the "illogical" choice steers you in the right direction.

I recommend clients start by making a list of the factual pros and cons - this list tends to be the easiest. Then make a new list of the EMOTIONS that are likely to impact your decision making and in what ways. Finally, create a list of the people you are worried about disappointing or how they will see you and why. If we ignore the feelings that come up around any big decision and the people's perceptions of us that we are putting ahead of our own, we are making choices without considereing ALL the information.

I often help clients conduct a matrix-type evaluation of their options (and reasonably likely best case version of those options) against their core values and key career goals. Does an option move them closer or further from ability to satisfy a core value? How directly or indirectly? If it moves them closer to some value goals but further from others, are there other ways to serve the other important values? (This may mean more research before finally deciding.) Giving each option a score of 1-5 or 1-7 on how well it serves specific personal and professional values, with most important values at the top of the chart, creates more clarity on how good a fit the option is than circular "this part is great, but this part is bad" thinking.

Reflect on Your 'Why': Begin with understanding why you feel a change is necessary. Is it a quest for more meaningful work, a better work-life balance, or a need to pursue a passion? Knowing your 'why' will serve as your guiding star throughout this journey. Dive into the industries or roles you're interested in. Connect with professionals already in the field, attend workshops, and consume as much information as you can. Knowledge is power, especially when charting a new course and weighing your options.

I hate to go back to the pros versus cons idea but you can't beat it. Write what is good and bad about both choices to make your decisions with reach ranked. (Sometimes a really awesome PRO will knock out 5 cons.) The most important thing is, after you've made your choice, throw out the other direction as ever being a viable choice. You're in it for the win and committed to it. Any thought of 'Oops' or 'Maybe' is just stress and Oreo cookies at midnight.

Weigh possible outcomes. Score them with respect to likes/dislikes and their respective likelihoods (of happy decision/success). Then go to options/actions to take. Are there preliminary steps to be taken? Additional information (and cost to get it)? Prototype. Try a similar outcome (to the one you prefer) for 1-2 days. Recheck the scores. Can you do it without making any change? (reframing problem) Is that still really hard to decide? So close to 50/50 probability of success? Maybe whichever you take - can't account for its unfolding upfront. Flip a coin eventually. When close to decided: write down the story that lead to the decision. Own it (it only has to make sense to you). Do the actions and don't look back!

Taking a wrong career direction is like taking a wrong turn while on a journey, it costs you time and resources to get back on the right track.

No option will be perfect ...we must move towards our goals No option will be perfect ...we must move towards our goals...

Evaluating options goes beyond analyzing statistics. It involves psychoneurological processes that include internal sensations and physical emotions. The importance of a perception is linked to an internal impression. Observe how people use their minds to determine what is important to them and make coherent choices together through dialogue.

1.) Pick a timeline, and go over the plan in a precise order and manner. 2.) Review the pros and cons, for every pro find 3 cons in preparation of a possible failure. 3.) If the plan involves your family, talk it over with them. Its not only your risk, see what they think about your plan. They might see a hole, that you did not see.

Consider 5 points while planning strategically: 1. Be flexible with your plans 2. Have some alternative plans if something goes wrong 3. Check your progress from time to time (like are you on the right track?) 4. If you have decided - then just go for it with your 100% commitment 5. Try to challenge yourself and how to come out from obstacles

Clearly articulate the decision you need to make. Break it down into specific objectives and outcomes. Collect relevant data, information, and insights that will inform your decision making process. Based on your evaluation, choose the alternative that best aligns with your objectives and offers the greatest potential for success.

The challenge of planning strategically is that each employee has their own strategy and needs to talk to develop a common strategy. This isn't as simple as executing a strategy predefined by the boss. The systematic practice of dialogue is a fundamental condition for building a team strategy that works.

When confronted with a challenging career decision, after thorough research and deliberation, it's crucial to trust the chosen path and commit to it wholeheartedly. Although obstacles may arise, it's essential to persevere rather than overanalyze. Remaining open to alternative strategies while staying focused on the goal is key. While the journey may be arduous, adaptability and resilience are paramount. It's important not to constantly shift the goalposts but to adjust the route and timelines as needed. By maintaining confidence in the chosen path, staying mindful of cues, and being open to different strategies, one can navigate difficult career decisions with clarity and determination.

Embracing the idea that mistakes and failures are opportunities to learn and grow will allow you to drop the idea that you can make a right and wrong choice. There's no right or wrong choice - just different paths you choose to take - walk them consciously.

You can reason as much as you like about what is the best career decision for you. However, humans are irrational as well as rational and what drives us is emotion. So the way you feel about a choice shouldn’t be ignored as it could otherwise lead to regret. If it’s difficult to work out how you feel, try creating different mental pictures of you in the different situations. Which appears brighter and more compelling to you? How would you feel if one of the pictures was taken away compared to the other picture being taken away?

Here is one of the 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 made at the crossroads: basing decisions solely on past experiences or current circumstances. If you need to make a major or minor decision, here's something to consider: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨. Here's the best way to think of your career: ⇾ Envision the future you aspire to in both your careers and personal lives. ⇾ Designing that future step decision by decision, action by action. If you're aiming to fast-track to your Big Game, it's a great strategy.

Reflect on one or all of these: - Which brings you closer to your vision for yourself and/or for your family? - Which is more aligned with your purpose? - Is there alignment between your top values and what the career/company stands for? Which is more aligned? - Whichever you choose, accept that there will be discomfort, pain and of course triumphs and transformation. It would help to also reflect on which journey is worth taking more?

Be curious about what you're feeling. Why is it you consider the decision "hard" or "difficult" rather than just "complex"? Are you assuming that the decision requires a zero-sum choice between two of your core values? If so, what are some alternative, possibility-centered ways to look at it? Or is some kind of fear keeping you from taking an opportunity you "wish you could" take? Don't use fear to justify your decisions (or non-decisions). What does the fear tell you that you positively, affirmatively value and want to have (or feel) in your life? What's the positive reason that that's meaningful and important to you? How does the choice rate on THAT positive value scale? Serve your values, not your fears.

Always remember that while you cannot reverse inaction, you can often correct wrong decisions. Not taking action can result in missed opportunities or stagnation, whereas taking action, even if it leads to mistakes, offers the chance to learn and make adjustments. Don't fear making decisions, even if they're difficult.

When faced with a difficult career decision, it's important to thoroughly assess your options, consider your values and long-term goals, seek advice from mentors or trusted individuals, weigh the potential risks and rewards, and ultimately trust your intuition to make the decision confidently. And remember it is difficult, no matter what option you decide so choose your hard wisely!

I always weigh the pros and cons I write it out and then I think about the path that I feel best aligns with my purpose and calling.

Fully committing oneself is essential, identifying risks, consulting people who know me and can provide additional information, discussing if someone in a higher position has also experienced such a situation can help, and most importantly, trusting that God can guide me towards the right and proper choice.

Think about your decision and its impact on your life 5 weeks, 5 months from now, 5 years… this can help take the pressure off and also evaluate if we are making a decision for now vs to benefit us long term.