When you have an important decision to make, you may reach out to trusted friends and spiritual leaders for advice. Many people of faith take time to pray about the decision and make the choice that gives them the most peace. It may also help to look at the practical side. To do this, ask yourself the following questions.

What Are the Benefits of Saying Yes?

Start by making a list of the pros and cons of the decision. Since you are likely a little excited about the prospect of a change, it may be easier to start with its benefits. For example, a new job can bring several perks:

• Salary boost
• Bigger workspace
• Exciting challenges
• Career progress

You can list a lot of benefits but still end up not deciding to make a change. Weigh the importance of each thing you would gain by taking the leap by asking yourself if it actually makes a significant positive difference in your life. This helps you keep the perks in perspective.

What Would You Lose by Making This Choice?

If you are experiencing some hesitation in making the decision, it may be more than your intuition holding you back. Ask yourself what you have to give up to make this choice. You may have fewer items on the list of drawbacks, but that doesn't mean they're not important. Evaluate not only how many marks the choice has against it but also how much weight to give each point.

For example, moving to a new house can be exciting. It is also likely to drastically change your budget. That factor alone may be enough reason to decide that your family isn't ready to make the leap.

How Would This Decision Affect Other People?

You don't exist in a vacuum. Even if you are single, the choices you make about your own life probably have some effect on the people who are around you. Changing jobs in the middle of your current workplace's busy season may put a lot of pressure on the coworkers you leave behind. Moving to another town affects all your relationships in some way or another.

This is not to say that you need to base your decision solely on how it affects others. After all, you are the person who has to live with both the benefits and the consequences of the choice. If it truly is the best thing for you to do, the perk of considering the impact on those you care about is that it prepares you to break the news to them in the gentlest way possible.

Do You Have the Resources To Make This Decision Feasible?

There is a practical side to every change. You need a strategy for making it work. No matter how many benefits you see for quitting your dead-end job and pursuing your artistic passion full time, you need to plan for how you are going to continue to pay bills and take care of your other responsibilities. 

The three major resources you may consider are money, time and mental health. You may be financially secure no matter what you decide, but if you are merely adding something new to your schedule without getting rid of other commitments, you're going to burn out too quickly to enjoy it. Figuring out how to balance funds, energy and time is crucial.

Are There Better Alternatives?

Finally, make sure you are looking at all the possibilities. It's rare that you have to choose between one thing or another. There is often a plethora of opportunities for growth or happiness, so make sure you are considering your best options.

You can pray about a decision and seek wise counsel. Ultimately, the choices you make about your life need to work for you, and you are the only one who can answer that question. With a little introspection and analysis, you can figure out the right path to take.