Make the F*ckin' Decision: Understand the Power of Decision-Making in Your Life

By Mark DeHart

Make the F*ckin' Decision is a book about the power of decision-making. Written by Mark DeHart, this book is designed to help readers examine their decisions, understand their impact and learn how to make better choices. Using a combination of personal stories and creative exercises, Make the F*ckin' Deci

• Language: English
• Publisher: Novo Publishers
• Release date: Feb 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798987643419

Mark DeHart

Mark DeHart is one of the founders and CEO of D&L Education Solutions, a curriculum development and training company that helps its partners build and train from within. D&L Education Solutions has partnered with companies such as Kubota, Bobcat, Subaru, and the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), to name a few, to develop curricula used by instructors nationwide in high schools, colleges, and industry training centers. Mark was ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top 10 Inspiring Education Entrepreneur to watch in 2022 as D&L Education Solutions continues to grow. With 16 years of teaching and curriculum design and development experience, Mark uses adaptive development and teaching strategies to deliver hands-on content in a digital environment. With a passion for educating, Mark is dedicated to others' success in and out of the classroom.From a high school dropout to a military veteran to a college professor, Mark has challenged himself to overcome many obstacles in his life. About to cross the finish line of his Doctorate, Mark is working to improve his family, life, and those around him.

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Make the F*ckin’ Decision

Understand the Power of Decision-Making in Your Life

Mark DeHart

Copyright © 2023 Mark DeHart

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact [e-mail]

Published by Novo Publishers

Published & Printed in the United States of America

Available from Website and other retail outlets

First Printing Edition, 2023

ISBN 979-8-9876434-1-9

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the many bad decisions I have made in my life. I have been able to learn so much from them to become the person I am today. Thank you.

My mom. Thank you for trusting me with the decision. I miss you and love you so much.

To my beautiful wife and three daughters. You are my happiness, and I love you all so much!

Table of Contents

What is Decision-Making?

The Decisions You Make Matter

What We Will Discuss in This Book

Choices Kids Make: A Lesson on Emotions and Decision-Making

We Learn from Our Community As We Grow

Emotions Are Powerful—But Often Misleading

Embracing the Learning Process

How Our Values Are Shaped and How They Shape Our Decisions

Exercise: What Values Can You List?

So, What Is the Difference Between Values and Morals?

Define Your Non-Negotiable Values

Why You Can Trust Your Values When You Make Decisions

Making Decisions with Emotions: How They Can Affect You

The Battle Between Logic and Emotion

How to Find Balance Between Emotions and Logic

Overthinking: How Fear Can Cloud Your Judgment

The Unfortunate Power of Overthinking

So, How Do We Eliminate This Overthinking?

Try This Experiment In Your Life

Doing the Right Thing Is Not Always Easy

Why Does It Matter to Do the Right Thing?

How You Can Coach Yourself Through the Hard Choices

Tough Decisions Define You

Decision-Making Is About the Big Picture: What Does Yours Look Like?

Your Decisions Need to Be Put Into Context

How to Frame Decisions

All Perspective Change Begins with You

Why Big-Picture Thinking Matters

Making a Plan for Your Next Big Decision

When It Comes to Major Decisions, Don’t Rush

Assess All of Your Options

The Most Important Result Is Your Happiness

It's okay to Make Bad Decisions: The Important Thing Is How We React to Them

How to Tell If You Made a Bad Decision

Bad Decisions Happen—But You Have to Deal With It

Planning Your Recovery and Next Steps

Accountability and Decision-Making: How Your Choices Build Your Resilience

Your Ability to Own Your Decisions Makes You Strong

Your Accountability Creates Resiliency

Taking Responsibility Allows for Your Evolution

Epilogue: Now You See the Power of Making the F*ckin’ Decision

My Final Piece of Advice for You

What is Decision-Making?

When I was 17 years old, I found myself in a dilemma that most would never imagine ever having to face on their own, especially at my young age. I was the youngest of two boys and the closest to my mother. This day was different because I found myself standing next to her, lying in a hospital bed on life support.  Even with how long it has been since that moment, I still remember the emotions running through my head. As I sat with my mother, pondering what I was to do and what the future would look like, the doctor informed me of my mother's condition and the unexpected choice that was then placed on my lap. 

It was not too long after I learned that I needed to make a decision the doctors came to me to ask what I wanted to do. Remove her from life support to allow her body to decide between fighting for a future or was it too weak, or let her be on life support for the foreseeable future, in hopes that she may recover that way. It is a decision that no one ever imagines having to make, and yet, at the ripe age of seventeen, I was sitting in the hospital wondering how on earth I would choose what to do. At seventeen years old, you’re still a minor. I wasn’t even fully aware of what I wanted to do with my life, let alone how I could decide life’s outcome for the person I admired dearly,  my own mother. In my mind, my life had rapidly gone from great to shit, and I was feeling the weight of this decision upon me.

This is no decision that any child or teenager ever expects to make, but I was trying to figure out what to do. I had no one to turn to, no one to help with this unimaginable hardship. A million thoughts raced through my head at a million miles a minute. All day. Everyday. I so desperately wanted to talk to my mother, to ask what she would prefer to happen since she was the one in this position. But I knew that was not possible. So, at the end of the day, the only person required to make this decision was me. As you can probably imagine, this decision would be a significant turning point in my life. It would also be the moment that I realized how important it is to make a decision, no matter what it is, and to be able to take responsibility for it.

Looking back now, that moment, that decision was one of the most challenging periods of my entire life. I can still feel all the different emotions tearing through me when I am left alone with my thoughts on the matter. When I decided to remove my mother from life support, I knew the consequences and what would happen immediately after. But in the end, I knew it was what she would have wanted, and I wanted her to be at peace. Remaining on life support, in her condition, would not have been what she wanted.

My mother passed away when I was only seventeen years