Your Next Clear Move
Welcome to Your Next Clear Move™—the podcast for leaders, professionals, and high-capacity humans who are done “getting ready” and ready to move.
I’m Debbie Peterson, Leadership Readiness Expert, and in each episode I deliver grounded insight, clarity-driven mindset strategies, and one actionable step to help you stop the drift and lead yourself forward.
This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reconnecting to what matters—and making decisions that align with who you are and how you want to lead next.
Subscribe for weekly clarity drops that fuel your next level—with confidence.
Your Next Clear Move
Stop Overthinking: Gaining a Clarity Edge in Decision-Making
Ever find yourself caught in the snare of indecision, unable to move forward? On this episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast, I, Debbie Peterson, will guide you through breaking free from the chains of overthinking with what I call a "clarity edge." Discover how five simple yet profound questions can cut through the clutter of doubt and hesitation, aligning your choices with your true self. It's time to stop the cycle of misaligned decisions and start making choices that resonate with your core values and long-term goals.
Join me as we explore the crucial role of personal values in decision-making and how misalignment can lead to friction and regret. I'll provide actionable insights on identifying and prioritizing your top values, using real-world scenarios like navigating tough career choices that may conflict with personal priorities. Plus, learn about tools like the predictive index assessment that can shed light on your natural work inclinations, ensuring your decisions are not only intentional but also fulfilling. Tune in and empower yourself to make decisions with clarity, confidence, and a sense of purpose.
Hey, hello and welcome back. I'm Debbie Peterson of Getting to Clarity, and this is another episode of the Getting to Clarity podcast. This is the place that you want to be if you're needing the tips, tools and techniques to create more of an impact in your leadership without sacrificing your life in the process. And today we're talking a little bit about overthinking and how you can gain a clarity edge in decision making, so stay tuned.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Getting to Clarity podcast, the place where busy leaders discover how to create more success in their leadership journey with less sacrifice in their life. Here's your host, debbie Peterson, of Getting to Clarity.
Speaker 1:Okay. So what are we talking about? A clarity edge? Well, what I'm talking about is overcoming that paralysis of analysis. You know that decision paralysis, and how we overcome it is with clarity. So let me ask you have you ever been so overwhelmed by a decision that you felt stuck, whether it's a career move, a leadership challenge, maybe a new business opportunity, something that excites you and terrifies you at the same time, and that uncertainty can keep you just running in circles, because when we lack clarity, we overthink, we hesitate and sometimes we make choices that don't fully align with who we are or what it is that we truly want. But what if you had a simple framework to guide you toward a better decision, the right decision, one that felt clear, you felt more confident and it felt more aligned? Well, that's where gaining an edge but a clarity edge in decision-making comes in, and I have five powerful questions that are designed to help you navigate life and business decisions, but with intention. So, whether you're leading a team, you're growing your career or you're building a business, these questions are going to help you cut through the noise and make choices with more confidence. You cut through the noise and make choices with more confidence.
Speaker 1:So the first question to consider is does this decision, does this choice, align with my core values? Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should. So at the heart of every great decision is alignment, and if a choice doesn't reflect your core values, who you are as a person, um, it will create friction down the road. So maybe you ask yourself to get some clarity around this Uh, what are my top three values in life and in career? And if you don't know them, then this is an opportunity to hit pause and figure out what they are. Another question might be does this decision support or conflict with those values? So values are the starting point. The values are how we know right and wrong, what works for us instead of against us, what we stand for instead of what we stand against. So any Google search around values will have an exercise that you can start narrowing these down, but they're really important to know.
Speaker 1:So, for example, if you value work life, I say harmony. You value work-life, I say harmony. I don't like the word balance, because it implies that all things are equal and balanced and life doesn't work that way. Maybe yours does, but mine doesn't. And maybe you're considering a promotion and it requires near constant travel, like 70 hour work weeks and maybe you've got a young family Is that truly the right path for you? You know it could be a heck of a promotion. You know it could have the salary to go with it, but if it is pulling you against something that matters so much to you, it could be a short-term win but it could be a long-term problem.
Speaker 1:So if you are another example, maybe someone who thrives on innovation, but you are in a role that is very sort of monotonous, tedious. It resists change Is that where you're going to do your best work? You know I use the predictive index assessment with my clients because it's another piece of the puzzle that really figures out are you working with your skills and talents and how you're hardwired for work. Are you working against? So if a predictive index is something that you're curious about, just shoot me an email at debbie, at debbiepetersonspeakscom. But you know, making sure that your decisions align with your values, that they feel right, because when they don't, no amount of logic or talking you into it is going to make them fulfilling in the longterm.
Speaker 1:Another core question to ask yourself. Question number two what's the bigger picture? It is so easy to get caught up in short-term pressures, what's urgent, what's comfortable, what feels good in the moment. But then clarity, you know it comes from seeing beyond today. So some of the things that you can ask yourself around what's the bigger picture is will this decision move me closer to my long-term goals or further away? In five years, will I look back and be glad I made this choice? Or could it conflict with something? Another would be what's the potential ripple effect of this decision? And you may not have answers for all of them, but it'll get you thinking, so that you're making a well-formed decision.
Speaker 1:And, believe me, many people struggle with this. I once coached a manager who was offered a high paying job at a company with a reputation for just really chewing up their employees, and there was a lot of burnout and the short-term gain was you know, can I power through this? Can I do this? The salary is so good it would really look great on my resume. But when he considered his long-term vision and building a sustainable leadership career, he realized the opportunity wasn't worth the cost. So your future self will thank you for choosing something that's in alignment with who you are and your long-term goals, instead of just your current circumstances.
Speaker 1:So question number three am I making this decision from fear or confidence? You know there's an apprehension that comes with moving outside of our comfort zone and then there is fear of something. So fear-based decisions tend to keep us stuck. They sound like oh, I should take this job because I don't know if a better one's going to come along. I need to say yes because I don't want to disappoint all the people that have helped me to get here. Ooh, I'm not ready to make a change, even though I know this just isn't working. I'm just gonna power through it. You know I can get by this, mmm. That's very fear-based. Clarity-driven decisions, on the other hand, come from confidence. This is the right step, even if it's uncomfortable. I trust myself to figure things out because this is what I want. I am saying no because it really isn't aligned with who I am and what I want.
Speaker 1:So one executive that I worked with put off launching her business. You know she wanted to leave corporate and launch her own business because she feared leaving the security of her corporate job. You know she was just what if-ing herself. But you know what if it doesn't take off Like I think it is? You know what if it's not a good idea? But she had such great motivation around it and had really done her research, but her fear was holding her back. But once she realized her hesitation was based in fear and it wasn't at all about a lack of readiness, well then she made the leap and, believe me, she's never looked back. So fear keeps you safe. This is how you're hardwired. This is what your unconscious does. It wants to keep you small, wants to keep you safe. That's its job, and it does a really good job. Clarity, however, allows you to explore something else. It can help to move you forward. So consider which one are you choosing, fear or clarity? And I hope for your sake that you choose clarity for you.
Speaker 1:The fourth core question to ask is what is the cost of saying yes? So every decision comes with a trade-off. There is some sort of sacrifice, okay, but saying yes to one thing often means saying no to something else. So ask yourself if I say yes to this, what am I saying no to? What resources is this going to take? Time, energy, focus, how much of this is going to be required? Does this trade-off then make sense? So it just gives you another perspective and, you know a leader might be offered a chance to lead a high visibility project Sounds amazing, but if it means sacrificing too much personal time or delaying other key goals, is it truly worth it? So not. Every good opportunity is the right opportunity. So understanding the cost of saying yes helps you to make better choices with full awareness.
Speaker 1:Core question number five if I couldn't fail, what would I choose? Doubt clouds our thinking, it makes us hesitate, it shrinks our dreams and it makes us choose the safe option instead of the aligned one. So let's remove failure from the equation for a moment and ask ourselves okay, if I knew I wouldn't fail, what decision would I make, and what choice excites me the most? Saying yes or saying no? What's possible, if I trust myself to figure things out? Because you have in the past many times, and this isn't about reckless decisions, it's about seeing beyond the fear and into possibility. Some of the greatest career moves, business shifts and leadership breakthroughs happen when you choose the path that excites you instead of the one that simply feels safe. So here are the five questions again. Number one does this align with my core values? Number two what's the bigger picture? Number three am I making this decision from fear or from confidence? Number four what's the cost of saying yes? Number five if I couldn't fail, what would I choose?
Speaker 1:So use these anytime that you're faced with a tough choice, whether it's taking a new role, launching a business, making a decision in your leadership, in your life, setting priorities. The more you practice asking these questions, the clearer your path becomes. So your 48-hour challenge this week is make a clear decision. Take the next 48 hours to apply these core questions. Identify one decision that you've been struggling with Maybe it's big or small and then walk through these five questions.
Speaker 1:Write down your answers, seriously. Don't do it in your head. Write it down on a piece of paper and notice the patterns. Notice what becomes clear. So clarity isn't about knowing every detail of the future. It's not about knowing every step on the path in front of you. It's about getting clear on direction. It's about making aligned choices now so that your future holds more purpose and more direction for you. If you're looking for more strategies on clarity, decision-making, leadership, explore more at my website. You can visit wwwdebbypetersonspeakscom. And until the next time, here is wishing you all the clarity that you deserve. Take care, be good to yourself and bye-bye for now.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Getting to Clarity Podcast with Debbie Peterson. If you enjoyed this show, please rate and recommend it on iTunes or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. To learn more about how you can bring Debbie and her transformational clarity leadership strategies to your organization, visit debbyspeakscom.
