One of the greatest lessons I learned from my late mentor, Bob Proctor, was the importance of making decisions.
It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yet so many people spend years thinking about what they want, talking about the changes they’d love to make and waiting for the right circumstances before they finally commit.
In this teaching, Bob and I explore why the ability to make decisions is one of the most important habits we can develop if we want to experience greater success in our lives.
And it all begins with understanding the difference between deciding what you want and knowing exactly how you’re going to achieve it.
Successful People Develop the Habit of Decision
Bob frequently referred to Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, particularly the chapter devoted to decision-making.
Hill studied thousands of people and identified indecision as one of the major causes of failure. He also observed that people who had accumulated considerable wealth shared a common characteristic: they developed the habit of making decisions promptly and changing them slowly.
This was something Bob took very seriously.
He believed that indecision is a habit, often developed early in life when we’re encouraged to seek approval, follow instructions or allow other people to make decisions on our behalf.
Over time, we can become so accustomed to asking others what they think we should do that we stop trusting our own judgement.
And this doesn’t necessarily change just because someone becomes successful.
I’ve worked with many highly capable people who make significant decisions in their businesses every day, yet hesitate when it comes to deciding what they genuinely want for themselves.
They can lead teams, manage substantial responsibilities and solve complex problems, but when it comes to pursuing a goal that takes them beyond their current experience, they find themselves waiting.
The ability to make decisions is something we can consciously develop, and like any habit, it becomes stronger with practice.
Stop Allowing Your Present Circumstances to Determine Your Future
In the video, Bob uses a flip chart to illustrate different levels of thinking, which he describes as frequencies.
He explains that we tend to operate from familiar patterns of thought, and those patterns influence the decisions we make and the results we experience.
Then we set a new goal.
Perhaps it’s growing a business, moving into a different career, creating greater financial freedom or pursuing something we’ve wanted to do for years.
Initially, we’re excited by the possibility. But almost immediately, our attention returns to our current circumstances.
We start thinking about the money we don’t have, the time we can’t find or the experience we believe we’re missing, and before long the goal becomes something we’ll pursue when things change.
This is the trap Bob is illustrating.
When we continually make decisions based only on our present circumstances, we tend to keep recreating what is already familiar to us.
Of course, we need to be aware of our responsibilities and make sensible, informed choices. But there’s a difference between acknowledging our circumstances and allowing them to dictate the limits of our future.
If we’re always waiting for everything to be perfectly aligned, we may never give ourselves the opportunity to discover what else we’re capable of.
Make the Decision Before You Know How
One of the stories Bob shares in this teaching is about President John F. Kennedy and rocket scientist Wernher von Braun.
Bob recounts Kennedy asking what it would take to send a person to the moon and bring them safely back to Earth.
The answer Bob shares is just five words:
“The will to do it.”
It’s a wonderful illustration of the principle he wanted us to understand. When we decide to pursue something beyond our present experience, we won’t necessarily know every step required to achieve it, and that’s perfectly reasonable.
If we already knew exactly how to accomplish our goal, it probably wouldn’t require us to grow very much.
I often talk about the importance of setting goals that genuinely stretch us. Goals that excite us, perhaps even frighten us a little, because they require us to develop new capabilities, think differently and become more than we are today.
The decision comes first.
From there, we begin learning what we need to learn, finding the right people, exploring opportunities and taking the actions that move us towards the result.
It doesn’t mean the journey will be without challenges or that every decision will work out exactly as planned.
But making a clear decision gives us a direction to work towards, rather than remaining where we are because we haven’t yet figured everything out.
Begin Thinking Like the Person Who Has Achieved the Goal
There’s another part of Bob’s teaching that I particularly love.
He explains that once you’ve made the decision, you need to begin thinking like the person who has already achieved what you’re working towards.
This is where our self-image becomes so important.
We all have an established idea of who we are, what we’re capable of and what we can reasonably expect from life. Much of this operates automatically, influencing our choices without us necessarily being conscious of it.
When we set a goal beyond our present results, we also need to consider the person we must become to achieve it.
For someone growing a business, that might mean developing greater confidence in their leadership, becoming more comfortable delegating responsibility or making decisions that support long-term growth rather than immediate comfort.
For someone wanting greater freedom in their life, it might mean establishing new boundaries, changing how they use their time or finally giving themselves permission to pursue interests outside their work.
These changes don’t have to wait until the goal is achieved.
We can begin developing the thinking, habits and self-image of the person we’re becoming right now.
And as we do, we start approaching opportunities, challenges and everyday decisions from a different perspective.
Your Next Level Begins With a Decision
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate through my own experience is how much can change when we make a firm decision about what we want.
That doesn’t mean making reckless choices or ignoring practical considerations. It means recognising when we’ve gathered enough information and are simply postponing the moment of commitment.
Sometimes the next step is to have a conversation we’ve been avoiding. Sometimes it’s seeking the right mentor, making a change in our business or creating space for something we’ve wanted to pursue for years.
Whatever it is, the decision gives us somewhere to begin.
As you watch this teaching, I’d encourage you to reflect on one area of your life where you may be waiting for circumstances to change before moving forward.
What decision have you been putting off because you don’t yet know exactly how it will work out?
You may not have every answer today, but you can begin developing the habit of making clear, considered decisions and following them with purposeful action.
Bob dedicated his life to teaching people how to think beyond their present results, and this is one of the lessons I continue to carry into my own life and share with the people I mentor.
Because a more successful life begins with the decisions we make about what we want, what we believe is possible and what we’re prepared to do about it.
Watch this special teaching with Bob Proctor and I below.
If you’ve enjoyed this teaching and would love to explore these principles further, I’d love to welcome you into The ELEVATE Frequency Club. It’s a space for ongoing study, personal growth and practical application, helping you develop the thinking and habits that support your next level of success.
Explore The ELEVATE Frequency Club: https://karenbrook.com/the-elevate-frequency-club-with-karen-brook
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