Go DEEP Before You Make A Move

Before every major financial, professional or romantic move, I recommend using the DEEP method:

• Decide - All progress starts with a decision to take action. You must resolve to do something that will get you closer to your goal. Without commitment, you simply become like the millions of dreamers who "would have", "could have" or "should have."
• Educate - After you've made the decision to move forward with your goal, educate yourself.  Read up, talk to people, and listen to experts. This stage helps build your knowledge base so that you have a better understanding of what you are trying to achieve and how to achieve it.
• Evaluate - Now that you have more information, evaluate your initial decision (goal/desire) and the level of effort required to get there. Then evaluate yourself and be honest. Are you really ready to continue down this path based on everything you now know?  
• Proceed - The conclusion of yourself evaluation will lead you to proceed in one of three ways:  1) Move forward with your original goal 2) Change it based on the new information or 3) Scrap it because you are not ready to take on the challenge. 

The DEEP process can take days, months or years depending on the complexity of your goal, your stage of life or business, and a variety of other factors.  If you use the DEEP method as a guide, it will help you evaluate big decisions.