Accountant Key » Your Key To A Bright Financial Career

         A salad or a sandwich for lunch?  A mundane job with a good pay or an interesting job but with lesser income?  Posed with this two scenarios, evidently the latter would need more contemplation, or categorized as 'the harder choice' to make.  Simple choices or complex choices alike, the decision making process between two options is an inherent part of life, and one of the basic survival skills needed.  We all make dozens and hundreds of choices everyday.  Many of a time, our choices are 'made' for us through a governing auto pilot mode, which means that there is little thought involved when making a choice.  If a person normally has noodles for lunch, he/she would most probably be choosing noodles for lunch instead of having rice, or burgers.  It is known as an unconscious choice, habitual choice, or an intuitive choice.  However, we do make conscious choices, such as choosing which shirt or dress to buy, or choices that would have a more profound impact on the direction of your life such as which course to major in university.  These choices would require more thought, time and energy.

         You may be wondering, is there a right or wrong decision?  Some easy choices will involve a yes/no answer with a clear differentiation between the black and white.  However, in more complex and emotional ones, choices would involve grey areas, which results in 'maybe'.  Some are moral choices which we all inheritantly can distinguish between right or wrong.  Lets not talk about moral choices now, but about normal choices, such as which job to take.  In this case, there would not be a right or wrong choice, but rather a choice that would be most suitable for us in the future.  A right choice for the person making the decision would involve factors such as job satisfaction, remuneration scheme, job security, and the likelihood of future career progression.

         Making a list of your options would enable you to look at the situation with a clearer view, as if looking from a 3rd person's perspective, temporarily abandoning too much of an investment in emotions while weighing out the pros and cons of the situation.  This also helps in decision making that involves other people, for e.g.: planning a vacation with your partner.  Both of you may have conflicting choices, and you would want to make a win-win choice.  A listing will enable you to stand in the other person's shoes, and would possibly provide you with a paradigm shift towards a more informed decision.  As the wise say, when you change the way you see things, the things you see will change.  Seeing from different perspectives assists analytical skills towards a better choice.

         We're all given the gift of the sixth sense besides the ordinary 5 senses.  Intuition can be a good decision maker.  Research shows that people who make decisions quickly even when lacking information, tend to make decisions that they are more satisfied with compared to those who think and evaluate for a very long time.  This is simply because of the low stress levels involved while making the decision, as these people leave the work of working out the problem to the unconscious mind.  This is due to the fact that the conscious mind can only hold between 5 to 9 distinct thoughts at any given point.  A complex problem with more than 7 factors is going to overload the conscious mind, reducing it's ability to function effectively.  However, if a problem has a major impact in your life, it would be wise to take some time to contemplate before making a decision.

         In every choice we make, the element of risk involved and rewards that we reap are bound to exist.  It is crucial to identify how much you are willing to pay while making a choice to enjoy the possible rewards.  For example, are you willing to take up a higher position which involves a significantly higher amount of stress and pressure?  Evaluating the ratio of risk to rewards is a good way to assist decision making.

         When faced with a decision, there must be a valid reason WHY we all would want to do it.  Why choose a certain investment?  This girl, or that guy as a team player?  It is important to justify the decisions that you make between choices.  In Thomas J. Chalko's book, 'The Freedom of Choice', he stated that it is not what we do, but WHY we are doing it.  It is the motive and the intention of the choice that counts.  Therefore, be sure to ask why before jumping into a conclusion.  THE FIVE WHYS are a problem solving technique invented by Sakachi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota.  By asking why over and over again, we would come to the root cause of a certain problem.  This can be applied to choices as well, the reason being asking that particular question would enable us to focus inward rather than on outward on irrelevant external factors.

         At the end of the day, the choice is in your hands.  Always remember to take full responsibility of your choices, whether positive or negative.  With each setback or wrong decision made, draw courage from within to learn to overcome the adversity.  Do not regret, as every problem presents an opportunity to learn and improve, therefore there is no actual right or wrong decision, only strength and determination to make the most of choices available.  As quoted by J.K Rowling, the famous author of Harry Potter, 'It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'