What are your qualifications?

Have you ever heard the term "effective decision making?" 

In order to make an effective decision you should be able to identify your goal, gather the information, consider the consequences, make a decision, and evaluate your decision. These five steps serve as a guide to aid in making an informed decision on a new job, relationship or purchase that you might have been considering. So now, what qualifications are needed for you to entertain any of the aforementioned things?

I am currently in the market to purchase a new car under $10k and let me tell you, it has been one roller coaster of a ride.  I have had about 6 cars and trucks sold within one day of me finding them.  Over this past weekend, I narrowed my search down to two vehicles and my qualifications with the price, mileage, and looks were all met.  I used the 5 step process by identifying the need of a "new" to me vehicle, where I could find a car in the price range I was considering, the consequences of another vehicle being added to my insurance and the cost of maintenance. Then it came down to making the decision of which of the two I wanted.  So I did two smart things.  First, I contacted my parents to let them know what I was doing and asked them which one I should pick and second, I asked the sellers the question, "what is the vin number?"  Upon receiving and checking both vehicles they both had salvage titles.  According to Kelly Blue Book a car's value is 20% to 40% of its value with this title.  So as you can imagine, my final decision was that I am still looking for a car. So what is your qualification process to find that right one? 

Smokie Norful provided a good example of how his process works.  He used the illustration of trying to find that perfect watermelon.  Anyone that is from the south probably has heard that you should "thump the melon" to see if it is ready for consumption by checking to see if there are no bad spots visible and sweet to eat.

  Sometimes we get in such a hurry to eat the fruit, that we just grab the first thing we see and then realize that it was sour, mushy, and those bad spots have overtaken and infested the whole fruit. There must be a process in place and qualifications instituted so we don't make bad decisions and end up taking a job that was not right for us, enter into a bad relationship, or end up with something with no value .  So get out of the mindset of "not wanting to buy the cow until you taste the milk" and be willing to "thump the melon."  #SPEAK2MYHEART