It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Efficient and relatively easy! Just hop on the train at Milsons Point Station, change at Central and up the escalator to the domestic check-in.
I missed the first train from Milsons Point which meant I could miss my connection and possibly my plane. Changing trains at Central, I took a short-cut to reach a different platform, got lost and wound up running up the stairs, suitcase in hand.
3 steps from the top I could see the train was about to leave. I screamed for the conductor to wait for me. With an extra burst of speed I reached the platform. The conductor ignored me. The doors were beginning to close. I threw my suitcase into the space between the closing doors. The audience of almost a dozen fellow travellers started at me as I fell into the carriage. “I couldn’t miss my plane!”
I made it!
In conversation with a friend later that day, I realised I had experienced an unwavering decision: I was going to get on that train. There was no question in my mind! No second-guessing. No concern about what others might think of me. No fear of rejection. I was totally in the moment and failure was not an option.
I then recognised the difference between that decision and some I had made in other areas of my life. I thought I was committed. I wasn’t. There was still some lingering doubt about whether I wanted the outcome or thought I deserved the outcome.
What did it take for me to make and carry through such a ‘do or die’ decision?
- A whole-brain decision – including my intuition. I thin-sliced the situation and decided in a split second that I could achieve my outcome
- The consequences of not succeeding were something I wasn’t prepared to live with
- The possibility of failure was not an option
- I had a clear plan of action
- I had complete trust in my ability to carry through the plan
- And I was determined to make it happen
Everything came together in the split second I made the decision.
It reminds me of the well-known riddle:
Question: In a bacon-and-egg breakfast, what’s the difference between the Chicken and the Pig?
Answer: The Chicken is involved, but the Pig is committed!
We use the word ‘decision’ lightly. The question is, have we really decided? Have we really come to a resolution? Now I recall what that total commitment to a decision feels like, I have the opportunity to evaluate other decisions I thought I had made to see how they measure up.
What about you? Do you have 100% commitment to your important decisions?
Your results will let you know.