Making Better Decisions

I can’t claim that most of the following content is original but it is certainly worth sharing. I recently finished the book, “Ask It” by Andy Stanley. I highly recommend that you get a copy for yourself and read it. In that book he suggests that the vast majority, if not all, of the events in our lives that we look back on and regret are not single poor decisions but rather a series of less than ideal decisions that build upon one another and lead to some regrettable climax. As a simple example, drinking a single can of soda is not, in and of itself, a terrible decision and will likely not lead to immediate massive health problems. However, if that same decision is made over and over, day after day, it can and probably will eventually lead to major issues like obesity or diabetes, among others. Stanley then goes on to propose that if will ask ourselves one simple question, worded three different ways, we can significantly increase our chances of making great decisions. The base question that we start with is, “What is the wise thing to do?” Now let’s take that a look at three different ways to ask this question and see how it can help us make great decisions.

The first way to ask this question to ourselves is, “In light of my past experiences, what is the wise thing to do?” This question forces us to take into consideration not only who we are but our past decision making habits and the results they have produced. Take for example, a person who has a history of abusing alcohol, and they are asked by a group of friends to go hang out at a brewery. For many people, a decision like this is trivial. However, for someone who has struggled with an addiction to alcohol in their past, going would clearly not be a wise decision. Again, this question forces us to evaluate our past decisions and experiences and challenges us to do better.

Next Andy suggests asking yourself, “In light of my current circumstances, what is the wise thing to do?” This again forces us to evaluate our current stage of life and hold our decision up against a slightly different measuring stick than the previous question. Let’s use the example of a new father or mother who is also a business professional. They are committed deeply to both their work and their family. This man or women gets offered a promotion at work that is in line with the career progression they had hoped for when they started working. However, they have also recently started a family and know that this new job would demand more traveling and thus time away from home. No one decision in this case is necessarily right or wrong, but given this person’s current circumstances, it might be wise to forego the promotion in favor of time with a newly growing family. Again, this question forces us to evaluate our decisions based on our current life stage, because what we deem a great decision now, can be a terrible decision given a different set of circumstances.

Third, we should ask ourselves, “In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?” This question can often be the most meaningful to many people. We all have hopes and dreams and goals for the future but we don’t often take those things into account with every decision we make. We often treat each decision that comes along in a vacuum and then after a number of years, wonder why we aren’t where we want to be or haven’t reached our goals yet. Take for example the 22 year-old who just started working but know that he wants to retire by age 50. In order to make that dream a reality, there will be times when he will have to choose saving over spending. He may want to eat dinner out with his friends every week but given his future goal, it may be wiser to take that extra money and put it in savings or investments. Again, neither decision here is morally right or wrong, one is just better given this individuals future hopes and dreams. Think about what you want and when you want it, and then hold your decisions up against those goals and see how they measure up.

Finally, I want to add one more question to this list of things we can ask ourselves in order to make great decisions. Often when we make decisions, we do so based on our own personal ability or frame of reference. In order to elevate your decision making ability, I would encourage you to ask yourself, “Given this decision, what would a great leader do?” When we ask ourselves that question, it raises the bar of our decision making. We may not see ourselves as great leaders but we often know or at least have a good idea of what a particular leader would do, given the same decision. Perhaps you have a specific person in mind but if you don’t, do some research. Study great leaders and learn how they operate and make decisions. If you do that, when you are faced with a difficult situation you can call on what you’ve learned and hold up your decisions against that standard and it will elevate your own personal decision making.

Hopefully this has been valuable to you and these few questions will give you a starting point to make great decision moving forward. Again, go get a copy of Andy Stanley’s book, “Ask It.” It goes into much more detail about how to make great decisions and why this skill is so critical to success.

Source: “Ask It: The Question That Will Revolutionize How You Make Decisions” by Andy Stanley