I ask this simple math question often; three frogs are on a log, two decide to jump in the water, how many frogs are left on the log?

If you haven’t heard this before, or if you have; here is the point, making a decision to do something is not the same as doing something.

That’s right, there are still 3 frogs on the log; two decided and one is still undecided, likely getting pressure from the other two; frog peer pressure is not a joke.

I posted this today to get you to think and hopefully you are reading it, as I have found most people can make a decision, but fewer take action, and even fewer take the right action.

This is how I have learned through mistakes, but mostly by learning from others; either watching them make mistakes or listening to them in their efforts to help me prevent a mistake.

The Criteria

Understand your goal and what the desired outcome looks like; then collect input from people and data (known as qualitative and quantitative analysis).

The Risk Reward Ratio

Develop a list of pros and cons and weight them a bit; so you can develop a non emotional score.  Ranking and weighting prevent you from rationalizing your choice, which is really just lying to yourself until you think it is true.  Make a list, score each item and then weight them; then total the weighted sum for each potential path of action.

The Decision

It should almost be obvious if you defined the right criteria and calculated the score properly.  If it is not clear, no problem, go back for more data, score and weight differently (careful).  Although, sometimes it is not clear even after round two of data and scoring; ask others, go with your instinct assuming you have some experience, instinct without experience is called guessing.

The Actions

Most people, and frogs don’t act as the choices are either too many, or the results are unknown, such as is there a snake under that water?  Get started with a list of everything you could do, just write them all down, don’t debate them (yet), it will kill the creativity of possible actions, even if it is just you doing it.  Write it all down, often good ideas come from bad ideas; don’t filter, write them all down.

Now break them up a bit, usually a little mix of probability and effort; if something is easy and likely will work, duh; do that first.  Momentum is important in getting things done, the harder the thing, the more early momentum helps you accomplish it.

Rinse and Repeat

Do it again, focus on your goal and desired outcome.  Be flexible, and humble to modify the plan as you go.  Before you know it, you’ll have momentum towards your goal, have learned what you can’t usually be taught and the future actions become clearer.  Also, they become more difficult too; but the results should be worth it.