One Question To Ask Yourself Before Making Any Decision

Dr. Phil compares life to a river, explaining that they're both always moving and can't be damned up for long. "I want people to understand that choices are what determine where the river of your life is going to flow, and you can't not choose," he says. "One year from this very day, your life is going to be better or worse than it is right now today; it won’t be the same. And whether it's better, whether it's worse, whether you’ve made progress or fallen back is going to be a function of the choices you make between now and then."

Be on the show: Lost faith after a life changing incident?

Research shows that 80 percent of our choices are fear-based; in other words, we're afraid of what will happen if we don't make a certain choice as opposed to making decisions based on what we really want out of life. Ask yourself, "Is this an escape-based decision or a target-based decision?" Don't be pushed away from what you don't want; let yourself be pulled toward what you do want.

Here's one way to tell if you're making the right decision.