I loved the little article in today’s The Tennessean newspaper’s business section on decision making: Why no decision may be worst decision. (Go ahead and read it!)
Of course mine is not exactly a business decision and I really have only two choices: to go or not go. But I like the idea from Roosevelt that the worst thing to do is no decision. In my case not even considering the move or evaluating every aspect of it would be like no decision since it has been a dream for a good while. This way, IF I decide to not go, I will have considered it thoroughly and have specific reason(s) for not going.
The author, Ed Rappuhn, suggests 4 steps to follow in making business decisions and they mostly apply to me. Instead of profitability, affordability and improved life is my goal and I think I am doing all four of these things as I continue to research:
1. Identify your choices. Remember, maintaining the status quo is one choice.
2. Consider the possible outcomes (benefits vs. cost) of each choice.
3. Establish the probability of each outcome.
4. Determine, based on the probability of the outcomes, which choice has the greatest value.