When you are facing a difficult decision sometimes the best thing to do is to sit back and analyze the potential outcomes from your decision. What path will each outcome create for you? Trace that path to its natural termination. Are you OK with this path? In other words:

If you do X, what is the worst thing that could happen?
Now, what is the best thing that could happen?
Are you prepared for both scenarios?

These are three simple questions to ask yourself when you are trying to make a decision. I confess, I have used these questions to help myself for many years and I now use these questions with my coaching clients.

Perhaps you are weighing whether or not you should ask your boss for a raise.
What is the worst thing that could happen? This sounds negative, but it is very helpful. The worst possible thing probably will not happen, but answering this question gets your fear out in the open. If you are having a hard time making a decision or taking an action, this helps uncover what is holding you back.

So in our example, if you ask your boss for a raise what is the worst thing that could happen? They could say no and yell at you and throw you out of their office. They might tell you that you are not as good as you think you are and you are not worth a raise. In a very extreme situation they might even fire you. The worst thing that you uncover by answering this question is the thing that is holding you back from asking for that raise.

What is the best thing that could happen? Unless you suffer from fear of success, this is a fun question. Now you can think about the positive consequences of the decision or action that you are considering.

So, you ask your boss for a raise and the best thing that could happen is that you not only get the raise, but you get a raise and a promotion. Or you get twice the amount you requested.

Are you prepared for both scenarios? If you can handle whatever the worst thing is and whatever the best thing is, you are ready to make the decision or take the action.

In reality, when you ask your boss for a raise you probably will not face your worst case scenario and perhaps you will not face your best case scenario. But if you are prepared to handle either one, you have what you need to move forward.

Author's Bio: 

Margaret developed a passionate belief that it takes courage and skill to be human at work and that all individuals have a responsibility to treat each other with dignity, respect and compassion.

Motivated by her beliefs and the desire to make a difference in the lives of others, Margaret acted on her vision by founding Meloni Coaching Solutions, Inc. Her vision is to create a group of successful individuals who are at peace with their authentic selves; a group of people who help and support others; a group who bring humanity to the office and thrive because of it. Margaret sees a world where achieving peace and achieving success go hand-in-hand.

Margaret’s students and clients often find that what she really brings them is freedom to bring their authentic selves to the office. As a former Information Technology Executive, Margaret always knew her preference was for the people behind the technology. Now Margaret brings those beliefs to individuals from many professional backgrounds. The common thread across her client base is the desire to experience peace at work and the recognition that peace is not absence of conflict, peace is the ability to cope with conflict. For these people, Margaret Meloni is truly ‘A Path to Peace’. ™