Elements of a Good Decision

AVA stands for Assess Visualize Advance. Visualize is about weighing up your options but only after you have Assessed them first. This is a great tool to use to help you make a decision. To know what is right for you, try thinking about a chain of questions that might help you get to a clear choice.

1. Clear Values. What do I want?
2. Create Alternatives: What can I do?
3. Useful Information: What do I need to know?
4. Sound Reasoning: Am I thinking straight?
5. Commitment to Follow Through: Will I do it?
6. Helpful Frame: What am I really deciding?

It is really important to go through all of these. If one is missing, then you might not get to a clear decision that is right for you. 

• If Clear Values is missing, there is no reason or purpose guiding the decision
• If Crate Alternatives is missing, you too easily pick the first convenient option that pops up
• If Useful Information is missing, you make uninformed decisions
• If Sound Reasoning is missing, you jump to conclusions and make mistakes
• If Commitment to Follow Through is missing, you will not actually live the decision
• If Helpful Frame is missing, you will never make the actual decisions.

Having clarity around your decision will help you have control over your career trajectory.