Fresh start - 5 powerful questions to guide your decisions this year

Oh new years. It's the beginning of a new chapter, the next adventure that awaits, a time for reflection and positive change. We will face countless decisions this year and many will steer us in a different direction. They'll be some rocky shores that we might drift to, some occasional storms and also the breathtaking sunset we couldn't expect, but there is one thing that is always certain and that is that we are always moving in some type of direction and our decisions can influence what direction we take. We can't control everything, but we do have an influence. As I think about the next year, I'd like to share some questions that help me and have helped others.

1. Who do you want to become?

We often look at a decision and ask ourselves what we should do. In their new book "Integration: The Power of Being Co-Active in Work and Life", Betz and Kimsey-House explain that what would be even more powerful is to ask ourselves who we want to become and, when we are facing difficult decisions, to question what option will get us closer or farther away from who we want to be. This question really makes you think and allows us to see decisions as more than just a choice we make in our everyday lives, some have the power to help us grow and to move us forward.

2. What would you do if you could not fail?

Fear is often something that can hold us back. What if we stopped being so afraid of making a wrong move and took a chance on what can change us? Sometimes deciding what is comfortable and what we've always done seems easier, but another choice may bring more joy and meaning into our lives, especially if it's something we want to do but we chose not to take action because of lack of confidence in ourselves or other barriers. To take this question a step further, because fear and lack of self-confidence can stop us from pushing further, how might your thoughts and beliefs about yourself and others be holding you back from what you really want?

3. What matters most to you?

This question is so important. We make decisions quickly sometimes, it is required in some situation to decide on the spot. Taking some time to reflect on what's important to you can be helpful and this is also a good question to come back to in those moments when you're really stuck. What is most important, what do you value, what do you need more of in your life, or less of, and how does this decision align with that.

4. What's possible?

In some situations, it can appear at first that there is only two options (do what you plan to do or don't do it, make a big change or no change at all, choose between two opposites). But beyond what can sometimes be "all or nothing" thinking, there is often the potential for a small change that is not quite so drastic, an option in the middle or several that might feel more comfortable and not as much of a leap. The question "what's possible" also makes you look at the situation itself, for example if someone was considering taking a trip, the possibilities may be destinations, it may be what could happen if they went on the trip (pros and cons), or it may be reflecting on what is realistic and actually feasible for them at this time. It's a question that makes you think and find possibilities.

5. What does your gut or intuition tell you?

Your gut or intuition can also be important to consider when trying to make hard decisions. When I'm stuck, I try to think about what feels right, and what really doesn't.

So the next obvious question I'll put out there for those interested in sharing their thoughts is what helps you most when you're trying to make a hard decision or what are some questions that you'll be asking yourself this year to keep you moving on the path that you'd like to be on?