Making Decisions With Confidence
- Tosca DiMatteo
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
What if decision-making could be less about pressure and perfection and more about self-trust, patience, and compassion for where you are right now?
On this episode of The Unlock Lab, my focus is on navigating choices with greater ease, especially when life feels overwhelming. Whether you're facing a major crossroads or simple daily choices, learning how to tap into your own wisdom can transform the decision-making process.
Why Do Decisions Feel So Hard?
Often, a sense of urgency makes even small choices feel stressful. But the truth is, not every decision is as immediate as it seems. Take a moment to ask yourself: Do I really need to decide this right now? Sometimes, simply pausing and clarifying your true timeline can relieve unnecessary stress.
Start Small and Listen to Your Body
Confidence in big decisions is built through smaller ones. Try paying attention to your body's signals, even with choices like what to have for dessert. Noticing excitement, curiosity, or a sense of ease can help reveal what you genuinely want. This builds the practice of checking in with yourself and understanding what it literally feels like to make decisions that you feel in alignment with. Then you can use this understanding for future decisions - that are even higher stakes.
Give Yourself Mental Space
It’s common to believe that vacations or breaks are the perfect time to figure things out. But bringing big decisions into your downtime can backfire, making it hard to relax or gain clarity. Allow yourself to shelve those decisions and notice how answers can emerge naturally when you aren't forcing them.
You don’t have to force your vision or your dreams to land on a specific timeline. Letting inspiration and clarity come in their own time is often more effective and less stressful, than trying to lay out a grand plan all at once.
Turn Down the Volume on Outside Opinions
When stuck or overwhelmed, the urge to seek advice from others is strong. While this can absolutely be helpful, it’s vital to develop the habit of pausing and reflecting before soliciting input. Let your own feelings and instincts set the foundation, and bring in outside voices only when you’ve grounded in what feels best for you.
Don’t Worry About the “How” Until You Know the “What”
Getting caught up in logistics and execution before your real choice is clear can zap confidence and feed confusion. Focus on what you actually want, and trust that the specifics of “how” you’ll make it happen will follow after you’ve made your true decision. I’m telling you, this will be a life changing practice.
Let Decisions Be Flexible
The truth is that the vast majority of decisions aren’t final. You can absolutely change your mind as new information emerges or your feelings shift. Part of self-compassion is allowing yourself to revisit and revise, without judgment or shame. I’m not saying that changing your mind won’t come with other consequences - but often we don't even give ourselves permission to change our mind.
Practical Steps to Make Decisions With Confidence
Pause to check if a choice is truly urgent
Use small decisions to practice tuning in to your body and intuition
Table big decisions to create mental space and let clarity emerge naturally
Ground yourself in what feels right before seeking outside perspectives
Separate the “what” from the “how”—focus first on what you desire or know is the decision you know is best
Allow space for changing your mind and offer yourself grace for course corrections
Trust Your Process
Making decisions confidently isn't about always getting it right, it's about honoring your instincts and experience in each moment. Let self-trust, patience, and compassion guide you, knowing you’ve handled tough choices before and will be able to navigate what's ahead once again.
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This episode was sponsored by Human Design by Holly
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