It's Your Decision
I tend to see making decisions the same way as when I was in school and we would have a test in class. For most of these tests there was only one right answer and if you got enough of them wrong, you failed. Each question on the test was significant and you needed to get it right, just in case you might miss some of the other questions that were coming up.
We talked recently, okay, I wrote and you read, about mistakes and how we need to see them as opportunities for growth. But the truth is, like many times in school, mistakes bring you pain. The shame of failure or maybe even the pain of having to take the test over again or maybe, even the class.
Needing to make the perfect choice every time can be very fatiguing. I like the approach of a family who made the decision to move so the dad could take a better job. His announcement to the family was "We are going to make this a good decision." It's a great reminder that your attitude greatly affects how your decisions play out. Now that you have an understanding of why decisions are hard for me, let me share about a recent decision I needed to make and what I am learning about decisions.
I had the chance to apply for an assistant training position a few weeks ago. In addition to driving bus, I would spend a couple hours each day in a training capacity. I would get to teach some classes, oversee some study sessions, work one on one helping people get ready for the bus test and do evaluations to see if drivers are employing proper procedures. The last one was something I was not real excited about, but it all involved teaching and that was attractive to me. The down side was I would be working 8 hrs and it would eliminate my daily coffee dates with Kathy. Not to mention, that is the exact time when I write this weekly blog. On the up side, it meant I would make more money, but on the down side, it would mean a busier schedule and less time for other things.
Some of you decision makers out there probably already figured out what I should have done, but it was not so easy for me. A friend of mine said, "Choices are a gift from God." That's not how I felt.
The thing that should have made it easier is that last year I made the mistake of quitting altogether only to apply again, get rehired and, in the end, being better off than I was to begin with. Duh!
One of my life coaching classes talked about the 3 H's in decision making. Head, Heart and Holy Spirit. What is your head saying, how do you feel about it and have you prayed about it. In the end, I decided not to apply for the position because I just did not have peace about it. It looked good on paper, but it did not feel right.
Having said all that, I want to share my conclusion about making good decisions. Proverbs 4:23 says to "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." So I believe keeping my heart right is key to making good decisions. Rather than, "Should I do this or that?", my questions should be, "Am I being selfish or greedy?" "Am I making this decision out of fear or because I am offended?" "Am I doing this to help people or to feed my pride?" I think you get the point.
So going forward, I intend to check my motivations first. I am not sure you can make a bad decision if your heart is right. Just a thought.
I was taking to a friend recently about dealing with school children and a phrase was used that I would like to explore. Next week: "Picking Your Battles."
We talked recently, okay, I wrote and you read, about mistakes and how we need to see them as opportunities for growth. But the truth is, like many times in school, mistakes bring you pain. The shame of failure or maybe even the pain of having to take the test over again or maybe, even the class.
Needing to make the perfect choice every time can be very fatiguing. I like the approach of a family who made the decision to move so the dad could take a better job. His announcement to the family was "We are going to make this a good decision." It's a great reminder that your attitude greatly affects how your decisions play out. Now that you have an understanding of why decisions are hard for me, let me share about a recent decision I needed to make and what I am learning about decisions.
Some of you decision makers out there probably already figured out what I should have done, but it was not so easy for me. A friend of mine said, "Choices are a gift from God." That's not how I felt.
The thing that should have made it easier is that last year I made the mistake of quitting altogether only to apply again, get rehired and, in the end, being better off than I was to begin with. Duh!
One of my life coaching classes talked about the 3 H's in decision making. Head, Heart and Holy Spirit. What is your head saying, how do you feel about it and have you prayed about it. In the end, I decided not to apply for the position because I just did not have peace about it. It looked good on paper, but it did not feel right.
Having said all that, I want to share my conclusion about making good decisions. Proverbs 4:23 says to "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." So I believe keeping my heart right is key to making good decisions. Rather than, "Should I do this or that?", my questions should be, "Am I being selfish or greedy?" "Am I making this decision out of fear or because I am offended?" "Am I doing this to help people or to feed my pride?" I think you get the point.
So going forward, I intend to check my motivations first. I am not sure you can make a bad decision if your heart is right. Just a thought.
I was taking to a friend recently about dealing with school children and a phrase was used that I would like to explore. Next week: "Picking Your Battles."
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