The one thing that you do every day from the time you get up until the time you go to bed is make decisions. Some are pretty simple (Who will I sit with at lunch today?), and some are more complex (Should I try out for the school play?). When it comes to making a decision, you always have choices or options. You need to think about what you want to happen (your goals), and what will (or could) happen for each choice or option—these are the consequences of your decisions.
While you may not think about it, your mind goes through a series of six steps, or questions, when you make a decision. These steps are listed below.
| 1 | Situations: | Why do you need to make a decision? |
| 2 | Goals: | What do you want to happen? |
| 3 | Choices: | What are your options or the alternatives? |
| 4 | Consequences: | What could happen? |
| 5 | Decision: | What will you do? |
| 6 | Think About It: | Did you make the right decision? |
Think about a decision you recently made. Use this table to examine your decision. You may want to begin by writing what the decision was, and then go back to look at the situation, goals, choices, and consequences. Keep in mind that not everyone will make the same decisions. What you want to do in every situation is make the right decision for you.
| Situation | |
| Goals | |
| Choices | |
| Consequences | |
| Decision | |
| How I feel about the decision I made |
Use the decision-making steps to figure out what decision you would make in the following situation:
Your best friend invites you and some other classmates over to his or her house for the afternoon. While you're there, your friend tell you that he or she has started smoking cigarettes. "Just one or two a day," your friend says. Each person lights up. Your friend then offers you a puff. What do you do? Before you decide, think through the six decision-making steps. Then, choose one.
Your friend says, "Right, I get it. That's cool," and you feel relieved and proud of yourself for making a good decision.
Feel good about the consequences? That's great! Now, think about it: Did you make the right decision? Type your thoughts below.
For the rest of the afternoon, you feel uncomfortable and worried about whether your family will smell the cigarette smoke when you get home.
Not happy with the consequences? Think through the decision-making steps to figure out if you made the right decision.
| 1 | Situations: | Why do you need to make a decision? |
| 2 | Goals: | What do you want to happen? |
| 3 | Choices: | What are your options or the alternatives? |
| 4 | Consequences: | What could happen? |
| 5 | Decision: | What will you do? |
| 6 | Think About It: | Did you make the right decision? |
Now, go back to the beginning of the "choices and Consequences" exercise and try again. But remember, you can't always do that in real life!
Your friend laughs and says, "Okay, I get it. No problem."
Feel good about the consequences? That's great! Now, think about it: Did you make the right decision? Type your thoughts below.