{"id":3777,"date":"2025-10-10T10:38:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T08:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marijnevandenkieboom.com\/?p=3777"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:45:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T08:45:51","slug":"3-manieren-om-keuzes-te-maken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marijnevandenkieboom.com\/en\/coaching\/3-manieren-om-keuzes-te-maken\/","title":{"rendered":"3 ways to make choices"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you noticed that many major decisions in life are made without much thought, or even unconsciously?<\/strong><\/p>

How often do you hear: \u201cThis job just came my way,\u201d or \u201cIt just happened that way, I didn't put much effort into it.\u201d Do you make the choice yourself, or is the choice made for you?<\/strong><\/p>

Making choices is an interesting topic. It is a central theme in my executive coaching practice. What guides you when you make a choice? Do you encounter procrastination and avoidance, or do you create all kinds of obstacles? When making choices, you may encounter old patterns that unconsciously guide your behavior.<\/p>

How can you make better choices? How can you make decisions differently? More consciously? More thoughtfully, so that you can stand behind your choice and feel good about it.<\/p>

In this blog, I would like to share three ways to better map out your decision-making process and improve it. There are certainly many more.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In a coaching session with me, I will first diverge with you. This means that we will explore the broader context of the subject of choice. We will, as it were, create, explore, and brainstorm the choice. Next, you will converge; focus, eliminate, narrow down. This will ultimately lead to a well-considered choice. A choice that feels right.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Would you like to get started on your own first? Below are three ways to make better choices. Or use a combination of these three methods.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Choice 1<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Making choices based on reason<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We learn rational thinking at school. We rely heavily on reason when making choices. You make lists of pros and cons. You weigh things up against each other and come up with different scenarios.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I see this happen a lot in my coaching sessions. Issues are often already tackled with reason. You often end up going round in circles and can't find a solution by thinking about it.<\/p>

Another disadvantage of purely rational choices is that you ignore the fact that the decision has to \u2018feel right\u2019. It is therefore useful to approach the research with your heart and soul. We don't learn this at school.<\/p>

By relying too much on reason, you often unconsciously go along with what those around you consider important or what the current trend is. You may then find yourself getting carried away by decisions that ultimately do not suit you in the long term. Then you may suddenly find yourself in what I call \u201cthe wrong movie.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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It may also be useful to approach the choice from a different angle. For example, the body.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Choice 2<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Making choices based on your body<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Often, your body knows what is good for you before your mind does, as psychiatrist Bessel van de Kolk writes in his book \u201cThe Body Keeps the Score.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When making choices, you can also ask yourself the questions below. With your eyes closed. Or you can ask someone else to read the questions to you. Pay attention to what your body responds: it often gives a very clear \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019. Here's how to do it:<\/p>