George and I have some major decisions to make in the near future...decisions we have neglected before, much to our lasting regret. Big decisions make me and George kinda crazy. Our minds are swirling in circles, so I sought out some quotations to help us along.
"Indecision may or may not be my problem." Jimmy Buffett
We can relate to your lyrics, Jimmy.
"Some persons are very decisive when it comes to avoiding decisions." Brendan Francis
Yep. *raises hand*
"Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions."Author Unknown
George and I have plenty of experience. That's part of what makes us indecisive.
"It doesn't matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions." Jim Rohn
The fence is getting very uncomfortable.
"Quick decisions are unsafe decisions." Sophocles
I don't want to hear this. Can't we just get it over with?
"Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come." Robert H. Schuller
Isn't waiting just a nice word for indecision?
"High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly, make big decisions quickly and move into action immediately. Follow these principles and you can make your dreams come true." Robert H. Schuller
I want to be a high achiever, Mr. Schuller, but Sophocles clearly disagrees with you, and he was a high achiever. Are you smarter than Sophocles?
"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." Flora Whittemore
Nothing like a little added pressure, Flora. Thanks a lot.
"An expert is someone who has succeeded in making decisions and judgements simpler through knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore." Edward de Bono
Finally, someone who can help. Edward, you helped me focus, and I thank you. George and I need to gather some critical information before we can proceed, but we also need to ask what information is truly important, and what information we should ignore. Something useful to think about.
“It is not always what we know or analyzed before we make a decision that makes it a great decision. It is what we do after we make the decision to implement and execute it that makes it a good decision.” William Pollard
Ah, yes, follow-through. It helps to think that no matter what we choose, if we execute it well, it'll be good in the end. Takes a bit of the pressure off. A bit.
But we have to choose our path first.
What do you do to help you work through difficult decisions where options are many and arrows pointing the right way are few? Prayer, certainly. But what else?
Pray, pray, pray! Seek good counsel, pros and cons list, what's the worst thing that can happen if I do/don't make the decision, sometimes it's "go with your gut", a reminder that once you make the decision, a TON of stress gets taken off your life as the indecision is what causes the stress, and finally, if you don't make a decision someone else will make it for you and you may not like what they/life decide(s) on your behalf. Good luck :)
ReplyDeleteList the pros and cons. . . and don't underestimate gut instinct.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely pray. BUT, I've found that God will not do anything for us that we cannot do for ourselves. I'd make a list and make a decision FIRST, then pray about it. If it feels wrong, make another decision and try again. I ALWAYS feel comfortable with all decisions I make using this technique. :) Hope this helps!!!
ReplyDeleteNot to decide is to decide--Harvey Cox.
ReplyDeleteI know that you will reason your way through this. Playing what do we know (a la George Frankly of Mathnet) is always helpful-and the yellow pad with two columns works as well-I HATE yellow pads. And there is the category in our house that we call adult decisions-those are never fun!
Betsy B.
Very good question. I wish I had an answer. I've been wrestling with something myself and am still nervous about 'making the call'. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteWhat Nancy said: make a list - pros and cons. Sometimes it helps to stop the swirling and put it all out there. Once you write it down, it frees up your brain to look at things logically.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, gut instinct can be good, too, but don't overlook the other stuff.
Good luck!