Decision Making

I recently had a struggle with deciding on what type of day care my children should be in.  Unfortunately, I have to work and am at the point where I need to add more office hours.  Although I love being with my children, I am conflicted at work because I do not have enough client hours to meet all of my clients' needs.  As I thought about this decision, I was reminded of the steps that we teach in our communication workshops about making decisions. To solve a problem or make a decision, we need to be more aware of all of the components that go into making a decision.  There are 5 things that need to be taken into account: the sensory data (the facts about the situation), your thoughts, your emotions, what you want, and your behaviors, both current and past.  As you look at all of these components, making a decision is a lot easier because you have taken into account all of the necessary data.  Since looking at that information, I have made progress toward my dilemma.  I also realized that I need more information to finalize my decision.  Sometimes, we rush to make decisions without all of the necessary information.  So, think about how you make decisions.  What information do you need to make your decision.?   What information are you consistently leaving out?