Introducing 5 Great Decisions

Have you ever had an idea that you believed had real value and needed to be shared with others? Not something grand or complicated — sometimes it's the simplest concepts that hold the most power. That happened to me 20 years ago with something I call 5 Great Decisions.

Five Great Decisions (5GD) is beautifully simple: make five intentional choices each day that align with your values and the person you want to become. These aren't necessarily life-changing decisions — often it's the smallest choices, made with awareness, that create the most profound transformation over time.

The Moment It All Started

I'll never forget May 1, 2005. I was having a conversation about goal achievement and the challenge of making lasting changes. Like so many of us, I'd traveled the road of setting ambitious targets, usually ending up frustrated despite good intentions and initial motivation.

But at the end of that conversation, something different happened. I said, almost without thinking, "You know, it's the decisions we make each day that make the difference."

That evening, as I was falling asleep, the idea crystallized: what if I made five great decisions each day and wrote them down?

When Everything Changed

The results felt magical. Instead of relying solely on willpower or discipline, every choice became an opportunity. When faced with a decision, I'd experience what I can only describe as a "spark" of recognition — I knew almost instantly what choice aligned with who I wanted to become.

That's when I discovered something profound: five intentional choices daily could transform not just specific goals, but my entire approach to living.

From Wondering to Wandering

For years, I've wondered: Is there a book in 5 Great Decisions? Recently, encouraged by my son Steven and driven by my own curiosity, I decided to stop wondering and start exploring.

I'm currently working with a cohort of 12 people to dive deeper into the 5GD concept. Each week, I send them fresh perspectives, practical insights, and thought-provoking ideas about the practice. In return, they share their stories and experiences, showing me how this simple framework is impacting their lives in ways I never anticipated.

We're three months into our four-month journey together, and what I'm learning is fascinating.

5GD truly is a simple idea that runs remarkably deep.

My Next Adventure

For the next year, this will be my life's work — to fully explore and understand the depths of 5 Great Decisions. I want to uncover why this practice works, how it can help others, and what wisdom emerges when people commit to making just five intentional choices each day.

This doesn't mean I'm abandoning my retirement work. For 18 years, I've helped people overcome the fear and anxiety around retirement and see it as their next chapter — full of opportunity to get on with living. The more I think about it, the more connected these two passions become. Retirement is about consciously creating your next chapter, which requires the same intentional, future-focused decision-making that 5GD teaches.

Retirement also offers us the opportunity to explore our "possible lives" — all the different versions of ourselves we might become. It encourages us to reflect on who we are now and who we might grow into, exploring different facets of our personality and potential. Now it's time for me to explore another possible life — as the founder and champion of 5 Great Decisions.

Sometimes the most powerful ideas are hiding in plain sight, waiting for us to recognize their potential. I believe 5 Great Decisions is one of those ideas.