Decision making is one of the most important skills you will ever acquire in your lifetime.

I’m talking about the kind of decisions that change your destiny.

Some people make decisions only to change their mind a few minutes, hours or days later.

The most successful people make decisions based on very specific goals and visions and COMMIT to those decisions 100%… no excuses. This kind of decision making can change lives in a split second.

On the flip side, if you remain undecided about an important event in your life, you are left in a state of ambivalence. You can become fearful and begin to question yourself. Any decision is better than no decision at all.

Take one opportunity today, before you go to bed, to make a committed decision for your life. A decision that you have been putting off that YOU KNOW will make a world of difference. A decision that, when you look back in 3,6,9 or 12 months, you say WOW… glad I did that

And this holiday was non-cerebral for me. So here’s my point, (and today’s tip – at last you cry!) …

Give yourself some time in the week to do the opposite of your standard way. If you like to think as I do, then book yourself an hour of tennis or a massage or a float, and realise that whatever you were thinking about before will still be there to think about when the activity is over, so give yourself the break.

Or, if you’re generally an active, sporty sort, read a book, or learn to play chess perhaps.

You’ll find your troubles dissolve and your life will start to come into balance.

Of course, the thought vibrations you are giving out to the universe will be negative ones, which will attract back a whole load more things to make the day worse- because that is what you are expecting. You may find that your meeting is really difficult, the caf gets your order wrong at lunch and your boss calls you into his office over an error you made.

However, as soon as something first goes wrong, you need to stop any negative thoughts and immediately get into happier ones. Focus on something that makes you feel good- it could be your partner, your child, your pet, your hobby- anything that will make you feel warm and happy whenever you think of them. Imagine yourself chatting to your partner, playing with your child or pet or enjoying your hobby and then, when you are feeling in a much better state of mind, think It’s going to be a great day!’ Your mindset will have completely changed and you will be giving out much more positive vibrations to the universe which will ensure that the rest of your day goes well.

If you are feeling really stressed and are finding it too difficult to change your thoughts, try a little visualization. Go somewhere quiet and close your eyes. If you find it difficult to find a quiet place at work, take a bathroom break! Take a few deep breathes and try to clear your mind of everyday clutter. Think of a peaceful place where you would love to be; this could either be a place you know, such as a holiday resort, or somewhere imaginary, such as by a mountain stream. Imagine that you are there; feel the hot sun on your face and the sand under your feet, or hear the gentle sound of water trickling over rocks and feel the breeze on your face. Spend a couple of minutes in the vision and then gently release it. You should feel much calmer.

Here is a simple experiment I tried some years ago; when I used to drive to work, I hated the journey as it was usually pretty busy, there were snarl ups, road works, break downs- you name it and I was held up by it. It used to take me ages to get to work and I found myself tensing up even before I left the house. I expected to be held up every morning and to hit loads of traffic- and I was never disappointed!

I had just heard of the law of attraction, and decided to apply it to my daily commute. Instead of feeling tensed and angry, and imagining all the hold ups I would encounter, I put on some relaxing music, and visualized having an easy journey into work. I imagined sailing through the usual busy spots, and felt confident that I would not experience any hold ups or broken down vehicles. I expected my drive to work to be smooth and quick. The funny thing is it really worked! As long as I took this approach, the traffic was a lot lighter, nobody had broken down, other drivers let me out at junctions and I started getting to work a whole lot faster!

You have probably experienced this when you are running late- every traffic signal appears to be against you, there are unexpected road works, you get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle, and find yourself becoming more and more worked up! On the other hand, if you are running early and feel relaxed because you have plenty of time, the traffic is flowing freely, all the traffic signals are on green and there are no hold ups at all, because you are not expecting and fretting about them. Try my little experiment and see the difference in your daily commute!

If you have a particular meeting or appointment you are dreading, don’t turn it over and over in your mind and think of the worst case scenario or you will be sending out negative thought vibrations to match it. Instead, imagine it going well, and visualize achieving the outcome you want- then forget about it. Don’t worry about it and don’t stew it over again and again in your mind.

Many people are guilty of doing just this and if it resonates with you, then make a conscious decision to map out your TV viewing for the week and to then turn the television off. A good way to see how much time you waste is to make a note of just how much time you spend in front of the box each week. You may be horrified.

Don’t forget there are people who are energy drainers too, if you consider those who are in your life and identify those that would appear to drain you of your energy, then try to limit the amount of time that you spend with them and you will find that you have more emotional clarity as well as additional energy.

They may have near meanings, but there is a difference between the three of them.

A Wish is is something that one desires to have, but does not have it yet.

A dream is something that a person visualizes in the future.

A goal is a target that a person sets in life.

You need to make sure you are clear of the differences but strive for one of each!