For the purpose of discussion I would like to open a topic on decision making processes. If you have not been in a position to make a major decision then you will probably find yourself in such a position in the future. Perhaps you might just flip a coin to decide where you might eat lunch. The biggest decisions that we might make in life usually deserve the benefit of a credible process for reaching a decision. The following list offers some considerable decisions to ponder:
1) Getting Married versus not getting married
2) Buying a home versus renting a home
3) Buying a new car versus buying a used car
4) Making a career change or a job change
5) Taking a vacation versus not taking one
6) Having children versus having none
7) How many children should you have
8) Moving from the city to the country or vice versa
9) Getting divorced versus staying married
10) Retiring versus not retiring
There are formulas or models by which one might use in order to make a decision. During college I learned about the Ben Franklin Decision Process. It is relatively simple. The B.F. Decision requires that you take a blank sheet of paper and list the problem or decision at the top of the page. On one side of the page you list the advantages of the decision and on the opposite side of the page you list the disadvantages. After you have exhausted all of each you simple count the number of each and the column with the largest number indicates the decision that you should make.
One of the faults of this process is that it puts an equal amount of weight on each item listed. For instance cost might be listed as one disadvantage but that particular item might carry more weight than a single item listed. In the past I have used this system to make decisions and then discovered that I had “buyer’s remorse” after we bought our first home. Ten years later our decision proved to be a good sound decision. Overall I feel that the B.F. Decision Process is about 80% reliable.
What say ye?
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
May I point out that this is not always a "decision"? There are some women, such as myself, who want to have children but are unable to do so because of medical problems. I am very glad that my DH has 2 children from a previous marriage. I consider them mine.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. Regina Brett
Posts: 932 | Location: The best place in the world, home, where the heart is. | Registered: 07-23-07
All For the Dreamer your point is a good point so I want to point out that some people are faced with the decision to adopt or not to adopt a child. Two of my close friends have pondered adopting a child. One couple proceeded with the decision to adopt and the other couple decided not to adopt a child. The two decisions seemed to me to be the right decision for each couple. One of my friends asked my opinion about adopting a child and I told my friend that I did not feel that adopting a child would be in the best interest of his marriage. It was he and his wife that elected not to adopt a child.
Some decisions might require outside opinions or even professional opinions. One process of making a decision is to get three or four outside opinions and then base your decision on the consensus. You can even allow your own opinion to be counted in the consensus process. It is also best for you to ask those giving opinions on your decision to list the reasons why they support or do not support the subject issue.
About one year after I had graduated from High School one of my friends told me that he was considering joining the U.S. Navy. He asked my opinion about this and I told him straight up that I did not think he would cotton to military life. He asked more than a dozen different people the same question. The overwhelming consensus indicated that he should NOT join the U.S. Navy. And what did he do? He joined the Navy. Three years later my friend was given an opportunity to get out of the Navy one year early on his four year enlistment and he took advantage of the opportunity. I was among the first people to talk to him when he got out. He said he hated the Navy and he spent more than an hour complaining about life in the Navy. He was entirely too undisciplined to cotton to military life.
In the fall of 1979 I was pondering the decision to join a fraternity during my fourth year of college. I used the consensus process to make this decision. My best friend and roommate was planning to pledge and he spent time and energy selling me on the idea. I surveyed four of my close friends and not one of them suggested that I should join a fraternity. I even surveyed my own father who had been in a law fraternity during law school. He advised me not to join. He gave me his reasons. I made a decision to pledge with my best friend and roommate mostly out of loyatly to my friend. It was probably among the worst decisions that I ever made. I was entirely too individualist to be in a fraternity. After I was formally initiated I became inactive in the frat. The upshot was that I was able to experience the fraternity experience and I can still recite the Greek Alphabit.
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
There is a page in the book, Go For Gold, by John C. Maxwell that is devoted to decision making (page 133). The author suggests that the best time to make a decision is when things are going well. He suggests this is best for a number of reasons.
You can see your situation more clearly.
You are moving to something, not just from something.
You leave those around you in a better position.
You decide using positive data, not negative.
You are more likely to move from peak to peak instead of valley to valley. -------------------------------------------- “Use the clarity of mountain top moments to make major decisions.” ---------------------------------------------
At the present I am pondering a decision to purchase a piece of machinery.
The reasons to purchase this piece of equipment outweigh the reasons not to purchase it based on the Ben Franklin Decision process. I am now in the consensus phase of the decision process. The question of cost has already been settled. Not only can I afford to buy this piece of equipment I can actually use it to make money in my spare time.
PD, this is what I got when I tried to bring up the picture.
Server Error in '/' Application. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Runtime Error Description: An application error occurred on the server. The current custom error settings for this application prevent the details of the application error from being viewed remotely (for security reasons). It could, however, be viewed by browsers running on the local server machine.
Details: To enable the details of this specific error message to be viewable on remote machines, please create a <customErrors> tag within a "web.config" configuration file located in the root directory of the current web application. This <customErrors> tag should then have its "mode" attribute set to "Off".
Notes: The current error page you are seeing can be replaced by a custom error page by modifying the "defaultRedirect" attribute of the application's <customErrors> configuration tag to point to a custom error page URL.
Well I guess it is in order to offer my apology becaue the link does not work for you (It works for me but sometimes I try to access links and I get some version of why the link cannot be accessed).
On Saturday we got the DR Field & Brush Mower ordered and it should be shipped in a couple of weeks. (The company builds them as they are ordered.) Once the unit is shipped I am putting a stay on decisions indefinitely because our home improvement projects are becoming stressful and expensive. (I made a decision not to make any more decisions for a spelll.)
There has been little time for me to devote to writing and reading poetry lately. The activity in the poetry forum has become somewhat stagnated. There are poets posting poems but I have never seen so many goose eggs (0 responses to poems) at QL since I have been active at QL. I guess many of the former poets have made a decision to seek greener pastures during the spring of 09.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Phantom_Delta,
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
On October 8th, 2009, I came to the conclusion that I needed to make a decision. In essence I made a decision to make a decision. The decision that I made was my own decision. I didn’t use a decision making process or seek a consensus. There were a number of reasons that contributed to the conclusion to make a decision.
Once I made my decision I had doubts about the validity of the decision that I had made. It has been said that supreme triumph of reason is to doubt its own validity. Since I doubt the validity of my own decision I can’t decide if I want to stand by the decision that I made. The decision that I made has been many long years in the making.
The best part about long sought decisions is they are likened to fine wine that gets better with age. Perhaps it is best to have a glass of wine when making a major decision. It has been said, “In wine there is truth.” Pliny said that but I have only a vague idea who Pliny really was. The best that I can figure is that Pliny made plenty of decisions and in all probability he drank plenty of wine when he made decisions. Tonight I will have a glass of wine and ponder the decision to decide if I want to change my decision.
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
Last night I pondered my decision over a glass of white wine. After I finished the first glass I came to a decision. The decision that I came to was to pour a second glass of wine. Well I pondered and pondered and after pondering I decided it wouldn’t hurt to pour myself a third glass of wine. I enjoyed the wine so much that I made a decision to postpone pondering my decision.
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
Well I pondered my decision to change my mind and I came to decision to stand by my decision. The decision that I made is to retire from big game hunting. Nope, no more wild boar hunting or bear hunting because I am throwing in the towel in 2009. After I kill a buck or even a doe in November I will throw myself a retirement party on November 21. We are having a Turkey Shoot on the grounds that day anyway. I am also going to have a hunting gear yards sale. There will be equipment and supplies laid out for sale real cheap. There will be guns, knives, deer stands, and all sorts of gear for sale.
In 2002 I retired from athletic hiking and back packing but I took up ATV riding.
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
Now that I have made a decision to retire from big game hunting I am faced with making a decision as to what avocation or endeavor that I might pursue in the future. For this decision I will utilize a consensus process so I will solicit opinions from the scholars of Quote Land dot com. Those of you that are familiar with my aptitudes may make reasonable suggestions. If anyone can steer me into a compatible avocation then ye will be awarded accordingly. (For the time being I have taken to reading.) The following are avocations or endeavors that I will not consider:
PD,how did you come to the decision to retire from hunting? I'm just curious since for as long as I've known you on here, you have been "the hunter!" Does this mean you're giving up all aspects of hunting, or only big game?
I wish I had some suggestions as to what you can do to fill the time. I'm drawing a complete blank at the moment. ...how many campsites have you visited? You could become a "Serial Camper" or something....and go to as many different ones as you can, and keep a journal of your travels. A very rustic, but hopefully appealing, idea for you, lol.
Posts: 906 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 12-07-00
Ain't a scholar, but can't resist throwing in my 2 cents. I think you should increase your DIY skills, as well as you should start blogging. It always seems to me that you have so much to tell, and you also have a quirky sense of humour, which can make you a very unique blogger.
When I was twelve, I went hunting with my father and we shot a bird. He was laying there and something struck me. Why do we call this fun to kill this creature who was as happy as I was when I woke up this morning. -- Mary Levy
*~Come play with my children feel the peace and Scatter some joy.~* ~*Blowing out someone else's candle doesn't make your's burn any brighter.*~ We can't all be stars, but we can all twinkle. We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.
Posts: 5740 | Location: India | Registered: 07-03-01
Originally posted by Amy Beth: PD,how did you come to the decision to retire from hunting? I'm just curious since for as long as I've known you on here, you have been "the hunter!" Does this mean you're giving up all aspects of hunting, or only big game?
I wish I had some suggestions as to what you can do to fill the time. I'm drawing a complete blank at the moment. ...how many campsites have you visited? You could become a "Serial Camper" or something....and go to as many different ones as you can, and keep a journal of your travels. A very rustic, but hopefully appealing, idea for you, lol.
Thank you Amy Beth for your suggestion. I have maintained a camping log since I graduated from high school. It would take me an hour to list all the different places that I have camped. I guess I could write a treatise on my decision to retire from big game hunting but for the moment I don't want to make my reasons public. I sent you an email to explain. It was sent to the email that is listed in your profile.
The Camp Juniper Turkey Shoot is scheduled for this forthcoming Saturday. I decided that we would celbrate Thanksgiving on the same day. We are roasting a 16-poound butterball turkey and having cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, pecan pie and so on for everyone that attends. I had a trophy built that has a gold strutting gobbler on top of it for first place. I wish you could be there!
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
Originally posted by Ananya: Ain't a scholar, but can't resist throwing in my 2 cents. I think you should increase your DIY skills, as well as you should start blogging. It always seems to me that you have so much to tell, and you also have a quirky sense of humour, which can make you a very unique blogger.
Thanks you for your suggestions Ananya. I think that I will build me a moonshine still and start distilling my own brand of moonshine whiskey. I'll brand it with the sign of the Delta. I am going to move into my cabin and live like a hermit and DIY for most everything that I need. I will not own a computer so I will not be doing any blogging. Besides, I am too independent to take up blogging.
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
Well I aim to take Ananya's suggestion and expand my DIY skills. Yep, it is what I am going to do but I am still pondering a primary avocation to replace big game hunting. As I said, I would award compatible suggestions so I aim to reward Ananya. She can make three suggestions for her reward. Three!!!
Right now I am pondering another decision. It is a humdinger. I hope to reach a conclusion by the end of the year. I will incorprate various decision making processes.
Posts: 2570 | Location: The Volunteer State | Registered: 06-25-03
...how many campsites have you visited? You could become a "Serial Camper" or something....and go to as many different ones as you can, and keep a journal of your travels. A very rustic, but hopefully appealing, idea for you, lol.
I think you should increase your DIY skills, as well as you should start blogging. It always seems to me that you have so much to tell, and you also have a quirky sense of humour, which can make you a very unique blogger.
