1. Start a blog! – YearToGrow was an idea I had which would serve as an outlet for my ideas, lessons learned, and challenges overcome during this year of incredible change for me. It allows me to organize and write down my thoughts, and at the same time, may actually help someone else in the process! I like that…which is why I really do love to blog (when I have the chance).

2. Keep a journal – I’ve never been one to be “touchy-feely”, and keeping a journal seems like it would be the last thing I would ever do. But my journal is not to vent my daily anger and pain…I use it to make notes of lessons I’ve learned, whenever one happens to come my way. It’s a great way to keep ideas organized, and make sure you never forget them!

3. Participating in forums and blogs – I like to join in discussions on my favorite blogs and forum topics whenever I get the chance. It’s a great way to “get the juices flowing”, to keep your mind sharp, and to stay involved in current events. By leaving comments on blog posts, you get your point across and tell the world that you’re not afraid to get involved. Find your favorite website, and start becoming active on it – not just a visitor to it!

4. Write a mini book! - Of course you can write a book about your life! Maybe your only readers will be friends and family, but who cares? If it’s always been a dream of yours, you won’t be wasting time on writing it! Time is never wasted when you act deliberately. Writing a book – however small or large – brings out the true person in you. It’s difficult to write unless you are passionate about your topic. Putting together a book will help you explore your mind, bring out the artist in you, and will be an accomplishment you’ll never forget!

5. Write letters. - Whether it’s to your grandmother or your childhood sports hero, write a letter to them! Express your appreciation for what they have meant in your lives, and let them know what they mean to you. Write a letter to your Congressional representative. It might sound corny, but it will improve your life by letting these people that you “get it” – that you truly appreciate what they mean to you. Sometimes improving your life begins by improving someone else’s!

Overall, writing can really help you to settle down, organize your thoughts, and make sense of them. This improves your life by helping you to become a more self-aware individual, and it can be really fun at the same time!

In search of a better way to make such a difficult decision, I found a couple of interesting techniques. I’ll try each one and let you know how it’s worked for me. Maybe you can use one of these methods in your own life! Just think about which one would work best for you.

1. Zero-Based Thinking: It all boils down to this: “If you knew then what you know now, would you still make the same decision?” According to this method, you need to look at your decision with a “20-2o hindsight” mindset. For example, if you’re deciding whether or not to fire an employee, look at his or her history with your company. If you would not re-hire the employee, knowing what you know now, it’s probably the right decision to fire the person.

Look at each situation with knowledge of any history you’ve had with that situation. In other words, learn from your mistakes, and don’t make them again!

2. Is This Me? With this method, you’ll have to ask yourself the simple question – “Is this me?” For each option, ask yourself – and let your TRUE self answer – whether it is for you or not. Check out Steve Palina’s site for more information about this method.

It’s probably my favorite method, and the one that works most effectively for me.

Ultimately, though, I have found that you need to have a certain mindset before you can truly make a difficult decision. Here’s a few things I’ve learned are very important:

• Know this: you’ll never know if you made the right decision. How can you know what your life would have been like if you HADN’T made that decision? What if you chose the other option? Maybe your life would’ve been better, and maybe it would have been much worse. You’ll never know…so don’t assume that you do!
• Look into every one of your options. If you can find a way to compromise, do it. That will usually result in your making the best possible decision with the knowledge you have available to you.
• When you make your decision, follow through with it. I have (regrettably) been infamous for second-guessing myself once I had made a decision, only to quit halfway through. And when I look back on it, I wish I had just “stuck things out” and kept going. If you make a decision, understand the “pluses” and the “minuses” – and commit to following through on your decision, regardless of the minuses that come your way. You’ll save yourself a lot of headache.
• And finally, listen to others’ opinions, but know that YOURS is the most important. Don’t ever let yourself get talked into a difficult situation without being committed to it yourself. This is how lives can be ruined for the future; when decisions are made FOR you, as opposed to yourself making the decision.

You don’t want to regret your decision, but you can’t be afraid to make it. If it happens that you come to regret it down the road, use it as a learning experience. That’s what life is. But chances are, if you follow some of the rules above, you’ll end up making a great decision, and learning from it in the process!