If you’re new to Life Compass, on Sundays I write on Spirituality, Faith and Ethics. I do it because I believe we’re all spiritual beings and have some sort of a moral compass in our lives, and because the topic personally interests me. You can learn more by clicking here.
Question:Â How do you make decisions?
I know, you will probably have a hard time deciding your answer! Because we don’t often think about how we make decisions, we just make them.
But really, we don’t make decisions out of thin air. From our childhood until now, we’ve learned how to make decisions – big ones and small – by observing our parents, teachers, friends and others.
Some decisions, like what to eat for lunch, can be easy and have relatively no consequences (unless we’re trying to lose weight).
Other decisions, like what company to work for, or what person to marry, are difficult and can have long-term, even life-long, consequences.
Some decisions impact no one but ourselves, others have ethical implications that affect our family, co-workers, and our community.
So, shouldn’t we give some thought to how we make decisions? And shouldn’t we learn how to make the best decisions possible, to minimize risk and harm to ourselves and others?
“WWJD” was a slogan that was made popular a few years ago on bracelets, t-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. The acronym, which stood for “What Would Jesus Do,” was a reminder for people to ask themselves “what would Jesus do?” if he were faced with this decision or choice that I’m about to make.
Whether you follow Jesus or not, the point is this:Â When we’re faced with difficult decisions, whether they have ethical implications or now, we can get guidance from other successful people we admire or aspire to be more like.
One way we can learn from others is by reading biographies of famous leaders and decision makers. Another way is to read books about leadership and decision making. One of my favorite authors is Dr. John C. Maxwell.
I think one of the best decisions you and I can make is to decide to improve our decision making ability.  It is a skill that will serve us well in every area of life.
Who do you follow? Who do you learn from, when it comes to making great decisions? I’d be glad to hear your thoughts and comments.
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