“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

If we are really honest with ourselves, many of us stay in jobs, relationships, and even places that we live longer than we should. Oftentimes, we intuitively know when it is time to make a change, but we don’t take action because we are afraid to trust the choice we are making is the right one. Here are the steps to help you make better decisions in less time with less stress.

1.  Trust your gut.  Allow yourself to honestly examine your emotions and feelings about the change you need to make. Consider making a detailed list of all the underlying reasons why your choice is a necessary one. Admit your feelings surrounding the change(s) you need to make. It’s not unusual to feel guilty or even downright afraid of the changes you know you need to make.
2. Recognize that you cannot run away from whatever you are feeling or facing. Even when we make the decision to take action, the reality is that issues surrounding why the problem developed in the first place will not magically go away. If you are leaving a job where your performance was in question due to your arriving late, unless there is a change in your behavior, the issue will reappear in your next position.
3. Set a deadline.  Whenever you find yourself putting off something, write your absolute decision date in a visible spot that you cannot ignore. A reminder (or several of them) set up on your smartphone’s calendar is a good way to get a continuous message sent to yourself leading up to your deadline date.
4. Ask to be held accountable.  A gentle nudge from someone we know can often help us move from the procrastinating stage to an action phase in our life.
5. Think of the positives. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, shift your mind to everything that is already going right for you and the positives that will or could come from the shift you need to make.

Intuitive Strategist Sheree Franklin works with individuals and corporations. She is a career columnist with Black Enterprise and the author of Intuition: The Hidden Asset Everyone Should Learn to Use. To learn more about Franklin’s book go to www.amzn.to/1UxlWLG.

Sheree is also a practitioner at Holistic Health Practice at One East Superior, in Chicago. Her practice includes one-to-one coaching as well as corporate speaking events, workshops and facilitation.  For more information go to www.shereefranklin.com.