8 Questions to Ask Yourself to Make a Wise Decision – Inspirational Reads Chapter 10
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Unmet expectations cause me so much grief. Do they you, too? Whether our expectations are realistic or not, when they go unmet what so often results is a weightiness that feels like it’s going to strangle me at times. Expectations really do boil down to making a wise decision.
The interesting thing, is that so often we can determine whether our expectations are based in reality by doing a little homework, we just have to be wiling to put forth the time and effort to do so. This is part of the process involved in making a wise decision.
I love how in chapter 10 of The Best Yes, Lysa takes us through how to understand the expectations that come along with opportunities that come our way. I know that if I were to really walk through the steps of asking the relevant questions, I really could save myself so much heartache, do you agree? The author is spot on when she says that evaluation eliminates frustration.
When it comes to evaluating whether or not I should jump on an opportunity, I find it helpful to weigh the opportunity through a series of questions.
These are my eight essential questions to ask when making a wise decision.
- What are my current roles?
- What are my current responsibilities?
- How much time do I have to truly devote to this?
- What are my gifts? Do they align with this opportunity?
- What is my current season?
- Do I have the proper resources for this opportunity?
- Will saying yes to this opportunity make it impossible to fulfill my current roles?
- Is there a beginning and an end?
I think the last question is essential because often during the busy season of motherhood, I rarely say yes to something that doesn’t have a clearly defined end. When things are left open-ended, it usually ends up being something that carried me beyond my reach. In all reality, if the opportunity can’t be defined I will turn it down nearly every time.
Following this method is a bit like making a pros and cons list. I find that by the time I work my way through, the best choice usually becomes quite clear. It is important not to rush and to be honest in my answers, but as long as I am doing those two things I have a very detailed roadmap that takes me from uncertainty to certainty nearly every time.
The next time you are looking to make a wise decision, take your time working through these eight questions. Just like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you will almost always find your Best Yes answer at the end.
The thoughts shared in this post were inspired by a chapter in The Best Yes. This is a book that were are reading together as a community beginning February 22nd, 2016. We are reading just three chapters a week in this book.
Even if you are not reading along with us this time, you can still pick up your own copy and gain the wisdom you need in making wise decisions in the midst of endless demands.
The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands
Here is a bit more about our book club…
This book club is a way of encouraging others to carve out the time to read at a pace of just three chapters a week because I’ve learned that finding time to read never just happens on its own.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday there will be blog posts here with Monday’s Inspirational Reads somewhere in the title with my reaction to each of the three chapters for the week, and then on Thursday evening at 9 pm EST we will be on Periscope discussing the chapters in an interactive format. You can find everything you need to know about Periscope by reading The Periscope Lowdown.
All you have to do is grab your book above, and you’re good to go! We’d love to have you join it, otherwise, grab your own copy and read any of the posts with Monday’s Inspirational Reads in the title and you can join in on your own time!
