COLLEGE PARK, MD –
Often, the reason for being hamstrung in the decision-making department is due to one having a lack of principles.
Options
Money, power, or respect may increase the number of options available to a person, but without an understanding of how to come to a decision it scarcely matters.
One with little money, power, or respect may have a small amount of options, but they can always apply correct decision-making principles to come to a proper choice in their given situation.
The number of options available to a person isn’t nearly as important as being able to make a positive choice. Positive choices ultimately add up to the difference between winning and losing in life.
The key to being able to make decisions is to have principles. Without them there are simply too many factors to contend with.
Those with no principles make decisions solely to come out on top. This is a poor strategy for a number of reasons.
First off, we have no way to know for sure how any decision will end up. We can only speculate.
Second, we don’t even know what is best for us. Perhaps what we think is best for us is selling ourselves short of better possibilities, let alone it being harmful to us. Again, we can only speculate.
Moreover, speculating in decision-making situations is a nightmare. There are an infinite number of possible outcomes to a decision. Analysis paralysis can ensue for one who really has no principles other than them dominating.
A person with no principles is left drowning in the ocean of possibilities that lies before them when they are forced to make a decision. So instead of making a choice, they simply limp into whatever situation is easiest for them to execute.
Those that can navigate the ocean of possibilities in their lives are those who sail on the boat of principles.
A principled person doesn’t need to speculate on how every possible option in their lives will play out before being able to make a decision.
Principled people can filter out many of the possible options they have as non-compliant with their values. That leaves the number of options left to them at a manageable number.
In addition, if domination is not one of their goals, that person can continue to weigh the options left available to them to find which one most closely falls in line with their values until the decision before them becomes self-evident.
That is important because it allows the person to not only make decisions, but to be secure in them without the need for comparison or regret moving forward from that decision.
More on why this matters next week, God willing.
Decidedly,
Tarif