Indecisiveness: Causes and Treatment
There are many qualities that may characterize the human soul, some of them are good and some are bad. Some of them reflect positively on human life, while others reflect negatively, such as indecisiveness, which may cause a change in the fate of a person, and the course of their life. We are all daily exposed to many situations that require us to make a decision, in addition to the critical situations in life. Therefore, indecisiveness is a problem whose causes must be known, and appropriate solutions must be found.
Indecisiveness:
Indecisiveness is the quality of some people that prevents them from achieving the goals they seek. This is because an indecisive person cannot take the appropriate decision. When they face a specific situation or problem, they try to delay the decision as much as possible, and then try to evade it; thus, they lose the time allowed to make their decision and the opportunity available to them, which may not be repeated again during their life.
A person may not be able to make a quick decision in a particular matter because they want to think carefully by collecting all the information and carefully weighing the facts. In this case, indecisiveness is not a bad thing. It helps you avoid haste and recklessness, and make a wise and appropriate decision, but indecisiveness becomes a problem that needs to be resolved when the period of thinking becomes too long. This is because it disrupts the ability to lead a normal life.
Reasons for indecisiveness:
There are several reasons that lead to indecisiveness, including the following:
1. Fear:
Fear is the first and most important responsible for human indecisiveness. This is because it makes them incapable of taking any step forward. A person is naturally afraid of any step towards the unknown or anything unfamiliar to them. This is because they do not want to get out of their comfort zone in which all things are familiar to them, and they know their causes and consequences.
When a person is about to make a decision in their life, they feel that they are close to danger. The fear they feel may make them change their decision and back off, so there is no harm in being afraid a little before making decisions; That is, within certain limits. However, if fear grows within them, they become sworn enemies of their development in life. A person's fear of making a decision may be inherited from one of their parents. This is because the characteristics of parents are transmitted to children as a result of interacting and having direct contact with them.
2. Low or no self-confidence:
Fear is the first and foremost responsible for human hesitation in making a decision. This is because it makes them a person unable to take any step forward, as a person is naturally afraid of any step towards the unknown or any unfamiliar matter for them because they do not want to step out of their comfort zone, in which all the things they are familiar with, and whose causes and consequences he knows are found.
3. Not knowing the goal:
If a person cannot know what is their greatest goal in life and how to reach it, they will not be able to know what is the right path that leads them to it, and what are the right decisions that are in their interest; thus, they will become very reluctant to make any decision in their life.
4. Striving for perfection:
Most people search for perfection in their lives. Therefore, making the wrong decision, no matter how simple it is, is annoying for them. As time goes by, a person becomes obsessed with making the right decisions, and thus their reluctance to make any decision increases , no matter how simple it is, such as choosing their clothes or the color of their car, and the parents may be the reason for this. Many families do not allow their children to make any mistakes; thus, the children become in constant pursuit of perfection in their lives in order to obtain the acceptance of the parents.
5. Paying attention to people's opinions:
Most people hesitate to make any decision in their lives. This is because they want to hear the opinions of everyone around them from friends, relatives, and co-workers, even if they do not have enough experience in the subject, which enables them to give a useful opinion.
A person may hesitate to make a decision because they want to please the people around them. They are not interested in achieving what they want as much as they are interested in achieving what others desire. Because satisfying many people at the same time is very difficult, indecisiveness becomes too great.
6. Many options are available:
When there are many options in front of the individual and they must choose between them, their confusion and indecisiveness becomes great, while if the options are few, the decision-making process is easier.
7. Fear of responsibility:
Many people want to stay away from responsibility, but making any decision in life has good or bad consequences. Therefore, unwillingness to bear these consequences becomes an obstacle to decision-making, and thus increases human indecisiveness, especially fateful ones.
8. Over-thinking:
Over-thinking is one of the worst things that happen to a person. It is normal to think before doing anything and even before speaking, but it is unnatural to think about the same thing over and over again. This is because it will keep you trapped in fear and unrealistic illusions and make it difficult for you to make a decision.
Indecisiveness treatment:
After knowing the reasons that lead to indecisiveness, it becomes easy to address them until indecisiveness is eliminated gradually. It is not easy to change this quality overnight, rather, it takes some time and effort, too.
Among the steps that help a person to overcome indecisiveness, we mention the following:
1. Boosting self-confidence:
It is necessary to work on increasing self-confidence in order to overcome indecisiveness. This is done by accustoming the person themselves to seeing their potential energies and capabilities, recognizing all the achievements they achieved earlier in their life, and remembering the experiences they succeeded in. This is to be confident that they are able to face different problems and make a correct and useful decision.
2. Taking time to think:
Stay away from the noise, emotions, and nervousness that may result from your confusion in making a decision, and think only about your future. Also, think well of this decision and its impact on various aspects of your life, as this meditation helps you form a clearer view of the consequences of decisions.
3. Determining your main goals in life:
When you determine what you seek to achieve or what achievements you wish to achieve one day, you will be able to know whether your decision is in your interest and is useful in achieving your goals, or it is not related to your dreams and goals in life, so that you can make a useful decision now and in the future.
4. Determining the problem you are facing:
Finding appropriate solutions and making correct decisions starts from accurately identifying the problem facing you and diagnosing it correctly and clearly. This step is the first step on the way to your success in making decisions.
5. Gathering adequate information:
When an important decision is required, all information relating to this matter must be collected from multiple reliable sources only. This is because the abundance of useful information helps make an appropriate decision.
6. Recognizing the consequences of each choice:
When a person faces several choices in their life, they must think about the pros and cons of each option available to them. This is because the right decision comes after knowing its effects in human life.
7. Taking responsibility:
Whatever decision you have to make, it is important that you do not run away from it and do not try to escape its consequences. Others cannot take responsibility for your life. Each person is responsible for their actions, good, or bad.
8. Consulting your close friends or family:
A person may be confused about a certain matter, but the presence of people next to them, who are interested in their matter without having any interest in them making a specific decision, helps them take the appropriate decision for them with greater courage.
9. Balancing your mind and heart:
Some people may think about their problems or make their fateful decisions based on their emotions only or on their mind only, but both ways are deeply wrong. The correct thinking depends on achieving balance between your thoughts and mind analyzes towards any matter, and between your emotions and feelings towards it. This balance helps you make the right decision away from confusion and indecisiveness.
10. Optimism and having a more positive outlook on life:
Depression and pessimism make you more reluctant to make decisions. Therefore, it is necessary to try to think of the positive aspects, as well as to expel negative thoughts as much as possible.
11. Training yourself to make small decisions:
In order to overcome your indecisiveness, start making simple decisions everyday without relying on someone else's help, such as deciding what to wear and lunch. When you are able to make simple decisions easily, you will be less indecisive about making the tougher decisions gradually.
12. Asking yourself: Will you regret it later?
When you are faced with a situation that requires you to make an important decision for your life, as if someone offered you the opportunity to buy a car at a suitable price, but you did not consider this matter and you are confused for the reasons mentioned above, so you hesitate whether you agree to this offer or reject it. Here you must ask yourself: “Will I regret 10 years from now if I refuse?” This method may help you make a decision more quickly.
13. Control of fear:
A person must face their fears and stay away from the negative thoughts that result from their fear, which keeps them away from achieving their goals in life. It is important to remember that failure is the beginning of success, and making mistakes increases life experience, maturity, and awareness so that your decisions become wiser and your thinking is more logical and practical.
14. Trusting in God:
A person seeks to achieve many goals and wishes, but they must always remember that everything is in the hands of God and your future and success are by His will. Therefore, strive to make correct decisions and be fully confident that God’s judgment is the most beautiful and best for us.
In conclusion:
Always think about improving your life and do not allow a negative quality in your personality to change your destiny in life. Therefore, be more aware, know your weaknesses and negative qualities, work hard to change them, and do not waste more opportunities in your indecisiveness and fear. Be brave enough and move forward towards success.