10 Steps To Making Decisions You’ll Never Regret

Balancing head and heart is key to making the “right” decision. Here’s how it’s done.

Michele DeMarco, PhD
5 min readJun 24, 2021

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Woman standing in a cornfield deciding which way to go.
Photo: Burst / Unsplash

When I think back to some of the most pivotal moments in my life, I realize how profoundly different the outcomes were when I paused to really consider the decision in front of me. Hard won wisdom has taught me that a gut instinct — which is a good thing, and ought to be factored into any decision-making process — is decisively not the same thing as wish-fulfillment, which, if rashly followed, easily sends us running off a cliff.

So often, we go through life oblivious to the feelings, thoughts, emotions, and sensations that are driving our actions. For big decisions, this oversight can have serious effects, but it’s also the case for seemingly small ones. In the course of the day, we make hundreds of decisions — from when to get out of bed and what to eat, to how to organize our time or engage with others, to what behavior is and right and wrong. The truth is that all of these decisions, whether small or significant, shape our reality, identity, and story.

Making the best, most meaningful, and ethical decisions — because yes, following your system of “right and wrong” matters — requires a mindful approach, one that helps you to distinguish between competing options and…

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Michele DeMarco, PhD

Award-winning writer, therapist, clinical ethicist, and researcher specializing in moral injury. I talk about the stuff many won’t. micheledemarco.com