Everyone has had to make that gut wrenching decision that could change their life forever. They make choices that affect people in many different ways. When making decisions individuals may consult different people in order to get advice to guide them through their decision, seek varying opinions on the topic, causing them to think about their decision in a different way, and even get additional information in order to make the decision better. Everyone needs to make tough decisions in their lives, but there is always someone willing to help make it easier.

Individuals may consult different people in order to get advice on their decision making. For example, this past week I was accepted into two private high schools. I had a difficult time making my decision, because I could imagine a happy four years in each of the schools. I soon sought advice from one of my best friends, Generic_Name. She said that no matter where I go I will be happy, but I may want to start looking at the decision logistically. I had not thought of the distance from my home to school. Her advice truly helped in my decision making, and I committed to the Generic_School a few days ago. In addition, this relates to the TV show,

Criminal Minds.

Agent Hotchner has a difficult decision to make, he may either stay as leader and split his team up, or he may promote someone else from his team and step down, in order to keep them all together. He had much difficulty making this decision, as he had a large family to support, but his team had also worked together for years, and he did not want to break their bond. He sought advice from Agent Gideon, a fellow agent on his team. Gideon stated that, " Although you may need money, the team needs each other, we worked through all of our problems and make each other stronger." Agent Hotchner took this advice and it soon led him to make the decision to promote Agent Morgan to be the leader. US Women's National Soccer team also had to make a tough decision about filing their lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation. They were concerned about what it would do to their reputation. Coach Jill Ellis simply quoted these words of wisdom, " You miss one hundred percent of the shots you do not take, if you don't fight for equality then you will never get it." These words then pushed the team to make a move and file the lawsuit. Advice, even though it may be small, may open up someone's mind to much greater possibilities, and make their decision much easier.

Additionally, seeking the advice of other might cause you to look at a situation differently and look at your decision in a new way. For example, my club soccer team, Generic_Name Youth Soccer, was making the important decision on who they wanted our coach to be for the spring season. We had not done well in the fall and the club was worried about our improvement. On the contrary, the club was weary that enlisting a new coach so late in the season may cause our coach and player bonds to weaken. My teammate Generic_Name gave them her opinion to help with their decision. She said, " We have been playing with this coach for the last two years and have not had much luck winning, maybe his style of play just is not working for us." The club had never looked at it in that way. Every coach has a different style of play, and although we might have better bonds with our previous coach, our new coach gave us different skills and drills to practice, in order to further develop us as players. Secondly, the US Women's National Soccer teams lawsuit has also caused some people to think differently. They recently filed a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation, for the unequal pay of players. They were tired of not receiving equal pay compared to the men's team. Player Christen Press spoke out, " We deal with constant harassment everyday from people across the country, still convinced that this sport should still be dominated by males, thinking that women do not deserve to be here." The US Soccer Federation had never noticed how much hatred was present from the country, they never knew that the women were going though this. The US Women's National team is making great leaps towards equality, but the lawsuit is not over yet. Looking at an issue from a different angle or greater depth may cause you to look at things in a different way, changing your thought process.

Finally, by consulting others you may get inside information that might not be open to the public, causing a change in mentality. When I was looking into private high schools to determine which one I wanted to go to, I turned to one of my friends, who had gone though the application process already, to get her insight and knowledge about all of the schools. She told me all about the people there, and I learned that the communities in some of the high schools were not as strong as they had said. There were mean girls, and over working issues that I never knew about. This additional information was not on the schools websites or brochures, and I would not have found out until it was too late. Entrepreneurs also look for this kind of information in order to make decisions on what they should invest in. There may be flaws that companies do not expose, such as a failed trial, in order to get the most money possible for their products. This inside information may help entrepreneurs to find out what is worth investing in, so they do not waste their money.

The decisions that people make always effect someone in someway, good or maybe even bad. Turning to friends, family, and even teachers can help you make the best decision. They may give you advice that would help guide your decision making process, they may give you a different opinion, causing you to look at something differently, and may even give you information not exposed on the outside. Everyone's brains work differently, so next time someone offers their advice you should use it to aid in your decision.         