decisions decisions decisions If you often find yourself unraveling messes your poor choices have created, this book is a must read. Speaking to a wide variety of decision-making situations, its seventy seven principles provide the template for what a good decision-maker looks like. As you become aware of the multifaceted nature of some of these concepts, you'll find they apply to an even greater number of circumstances than you might have imagined. Many of the lessons stress the reality that poor decisions bear consequences-and a few of the principles will open your eyes to the presence of subtle, but important nuances that might otherwise escape your notice. These, alone are worth the price of the book. My hope is that this book will wean you from the habit of second guessing yourself and transform you into a competent decision-maker.

decisions decisions decisions

By G. Claude Wright

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 G. Claude Wright
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-7965-9

Contents

I. SENSIBLE DECISIONS MAKING..................................1Relinquished Decisions........................................2Everybody Loves A "Yes" Man...................................4Is Celebrity Endorsement Reliable Advice?.....................7Ready-Made Wisdom.............................................9Only Fools Accept Dares.......................................11Check Your Focus..............................................13Assumptions Can Be Dangerous..................................16Don't Bet Heavily On The Untried..............................20Tempted To Take A Break?......................................22Not Deciding Is To Decide.....................................25Buy Time!.....................................................27II. INSIGHTFUL DECISION MAKING................................29Seek A Small Victory..........................................30Reassess Your Resources.......................................33Backward Steps Can Produce Progress...........................36Filter Your Decisions.........................................39Decisions Don't Exist In Isolation............................42An Unusual Crystal Ball.......................................45Jump The Fence................................................48III. ELIMINATING WASTE........................................51First Things First............................................52Misplaced Items Waste Time, Cost Money........................55A Costly Memory Lapse.........................................58IV. EXAMINE YOUR SHORTCOMINGS.................................61Do You Twist The Truth?.......................................62Control Your Anger............................................66Unbridled Greed...............................................70Seeking The Easy Way Out......................................73Procrastination Causes Problems...............................76Repeating The Same Mistake....................................79Do You Bore People?...........................................82I'm Bulletproof...............................................84V. PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT.......................................89Become A Positive Person......................................90Invest In Others..............................................93Traits Of The Successful And Great............................96Guard Your Mind...............................................99Do The Right Thing............................................101Protect Your Reputation.......................................103VI. DEALING WITH PEOPLE.......................................107It May Be Legal, But Is It Right?.............................108Protect Your Own Interests....................................110There Are Givers And Takers...................................113Investigate Any Potential Associate...........................118Guard Against The Inside Job..................................120Beware The Charmer............................................123Is He Really Your Friend?.....................................126He's Your Competitor Don't Forget It..........................129Identify The Dominator........................................131Don't Burn Bridges............................................133Trade Viewpoints..............................................135VII. SUCCESS AND GOAL SEEKING.................................137Make Setting Goals A Habit....................................139To Get There, You Must Begin..................................144Goals You Shouldn't Pursue....................................147How Much Pressure Can You Stand?..............................149Is Your Commitment Strong Enough?.............................153When in a Battle, Fight to Win................................156Expand Your Options...........................................161Focus On Your `A' Skills......................................164Passion Separates The Best From The Rest......................167Stepping Outside The Box......................................176You Will Pay A Price To Be The Best...........................180VIII. BUSINESS AND INVESTMENTS................................185There Ain't No Free Lunch.....................................186Getting In Is Often Easy But..................................189Is It Too Good To Be True?....................................193How Much Do You Deserve To Make?..............................196Unrealistic Expectations......................................200Understand The Nature Of Opportunities........................203People Value Things Differently...............................208Partnerships?.................................................211Value Your "Trump Cards"......................................214The First Rule Of Risk Taking.................................218Overlooked Wisdom.............................................220Know When To Hang In There....................................223Know When To Retreat..........................................228The "End Game" Strategy.......................................232IX. ATTITUDES AND HABITS......................................239How Do You Know It's Bad?.....................................241Surprises In The Ashes........................................244The Threat Of The Crowd.......................................247Take A Stand For The Truth....................................250Don't Take Yourself Too Seriously.............................253Feeling Sorry For Yourself?...................................256Are You Spread Too Thin?......................................258Value Special Moments.........................................261Surround Yourself With Beauty.................................264What Kind Of Legacy Will You Leave?...........................267EPILOGUE......................................................271

Chapter One

Sensible Decisions Making

There are countless approaches to making decisions. The ways that you will encounter in this section chronicle courses of action that typically lead to problems.

These concepts will help you avoid decisions that are unlikely to result in good outcomes. Being the product of faulty reasoning, careless indifference, or simple misunderstandings, they hold little potential for serving as worthy guides to properly dealing with life's challenges.

It is the misleading subtleties contained within these kinds of decisions that are typically responsible for distracting your attention away from the heart of the issue and thus render sensible conclusions unlikely.

While far from exhaustive, I believe that that the advice to be gained from these eleven principles will protect you from making some of the bad decisions you might otherwise make.

These principles are as follows: Relinquished Decisions, Everybody Loves A Yes-Man, Is Celebrity Endorsement Reliable Advice?, Ready-Made Wisdom, Only A Fool Answers Dares, Check Your Focus, Assumptions Can Be Dangerous, Don't Bet Heavily On The Untried, Tempted To Take A Break, Not Deciding Is To Decide, and Buy Time.

If you are guilty of making decisions after the manner described in these principles, you will find that these concepts contribute to your heightened awareness – an awareness of what not to do – as well as an understanding that there's a price to be paid if you do.

Relinquished Decisions

How often have you done something like this when the stakes were much higher?

This decision-making...