I made a decision over the holidays to invest in some training for a new line of business I’m launching in 2020. It wasn’t cheap and I debated whether I could figure everything out on my own using the vast resources of the web. The training was being discounted as part of a holiday special so I had to make a decision quickly. I’ll share what I did later in the post but first, I want to share the Fable of the Hesitant Pigeon.
Tommy the pigeon hesitated before doing anything. He couldn’t make any decisions. However, his friend, the hummingbird, encouraged him to make up his mind.
Tommy always had a hard time making up his mind and choosing anything.
“I don’t know if I picked the right berries. I can’t decide which ones to eat,” lamented Tommy.
Tommy the pigeon couldn’t decide what to eat or where to go. He couldn’t choose, always hesitated, and spent hours thinking.
Jimmy the hummingbird was Tommy’s best friend, but he was getting tired of the indecisiveness. The two birds missed out on many opportunities because Tommy couldn’t make a decision.
“I have to think of a way to help Tommy be more confident,” said Jimmy.
Jimmy made a plan that would force Tommy to make a decision to show him the benefits of being more confident in his choices.
“Tommy, we have to hurry! Your favorite, The Blue Songbirds, are doing a concert in the next forest, but they’re only giving away a small number of tickets. We have to leave right now to get them,” announced Jimmy.
Tommy knew this was an incredible opportunity. He loved The Blue Songbirds and collected their music. However, he still hesitated because he knew the tickets for their concert would be expensive, so he wasn’t sure what to do.
Jimmy kept pushing Tommy to make a choice. He reminded Tommy that The Blue Songbirds would be going on a tour soon, so he wouldn’t be able to see them again for a long time.
“I can’t miss The Blue Songbirds. We have to get those tickets,” declared Tommy.
The pigeon and the hummingbird rushed to the next forest to get their tickets. Tommy had to make several quick decisions. He had to decide how he would pay for the tickets, which row of tree stumps he wanted to sit on, and if he wanted to pay extra for autographs. He managed to do all of these things without hesitating and was able to enjoy the concert.
Jimmy pointed out that Tommy was making progress, and Tommy learned the value of making a choice.
I’m not quite as bad as Tommy the pigeon, but I do love to research before making a decision and I don’t like to feel pressured. I believe that while a high-pressured sales conversation might be effective, it doesn’t make me feel good afterward. I’ve learned to make decisions both in my personal life and in my business that support my core values. Using them as a guidepost or sanity check makes decisions easier for me.
For example, one of my core values is integrity. I avoid any situation that threatens my ability to maintain integrity. I love watching espionage and spy movies like the James Bond 007 films, but I know that in real life, I could never be a double agent or spy because I wouldn’t be comfortable telling lies. My eye twitching and foot-tapping would immediately give me away!
The types of products or services I offer clients, as well as the business processes I use to interact with them, reflect my core values as well. I believe I owe it to them to tell them the truth. If their manuscript needs work, I would do them a disservice not to point it out.
I recently had a conversation with a prospective client who was ready to hire me on the spot. During our discovery call, I learned that his book was in a unique niche area and there were several different paths he could take depending on what he wanted to accomplish.
There happened to be a niche-specific Mastermind Program he was also considering. In my opinion, joining the mastermind would provide the clarity and niche-specific support he needed before working with me. I recommended he sign up for that program and come back to me later. I was willing to lose out on an immediate sale because maintaining integrity is of the utmost importance to me.
Now back to the training program I was considering. I first confirmed that the training would directly affect achieving one of my business goals. Then I looked at the pros and cons of making the investment. Finally, I looked at what fears might be holding me back and what would mitigate that fear. After going through that thought process, I decided to invest in the training. Here’s why:
- The training is directly related to a goal I’ve identified for my business.
- I will get faster results. The amount of time it would take me first to research the tools and strategies, learn them, and then implement them could be spent on immediately learning and implementing.
- Increased chance of success. I will be taught by someone who’s an expert in that area. I can learn from their mistakes and get access to the tools and resources they developed.
- More time to focus on other opportunities. The hours I would have spent researching can now be spent on clients or other revenue-producing tasks.
If you’d like a little help making better decisions using my thought process, download my free Expert Author Decision Making Cheat Sheet below.
