Which option points you toward the life you want to live? Which will stand in the way of your long-term goals?

            Example: Overeating now puts you on course to look and feel worse in 10 years than you do today.

            Money-wise strategy: When decision involve spending, consider not only  how much you will use and enjoy the purchase in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years but also how much the money spent would be worth in 10 years if it were invested. An investment that earns 7% compound interest nearly doubles in 10 years.

            If all three time frames point to the same option, your decision is made. If not, you might have to compromise. You don't always have tp sacrifice short-term happiness for intermediate or long-term happiness success, but you do have to be honest with yourself about what you are giving up when you choose near-term gratification.

Get help

            When you confront major decisions, involve others in this process. Ask friends to supply their honest projections of the long-term consequences of each of your options. Also ask if they can think of any options that you missed.

            Don't solicit input just from friends - they often think the same way you do. Also ask acquaintances who have shown that  they make choices different from your own. Such people can provide new perspectives.

Know your values

            To be successful, "10-10-10" should be coupled with an understanding of one's values. Many people have never really considered what's most important to them... or lie to themselves about their priorities. These people are susceptible to the two deadly G's of decision-making - listening to one's gut and succumbing to quilt.

            The following questions can help you get to the heart of what you really want...

What would male you feel like a failure at your next milestone birthday?

                Example: A woman struggling to balance a family and a time-consuming business answered, "If I let the business fail". Many women let guilt convince them that they must put family ahead of career. In fact, working hard is one way to set a positive example for children. Plenty of children grow up happy and well-adjusted even though both of their parents work.

 What do I want people to say about me when I'm not in the room?

                Example: If you would like people to say that you're a square dealer, you had better disclose the problem with your used car to potential buyers.

What do you love about the way your parents lived...and what do you hate?

The way we live our lives can be a reaction to the way our patents lived.

                Example: A man who answers, "I disliked the silence in my patents' home", could make decisions in his own relationships that encourage openness