Three Tips to Help You Make Good Decisions

I seem to be accident prone since we transitioned to the hotel!

One night, I was heading to work in my husband's car.  I turned the corner and heard this crash...I had put my ceramic mug on the top of the car to hang up my church clothes and forgot about it.  There was my mug in tiny pieces on the road.  Bad decision.

Then, I was opening the door to the swimming pool and opened it right on my toe.  Blood and open wound.  Just saying that makes me almost faint.  OK...I need to stop thinking about that!  Bad decision.

If that wasn't enough, I started cleaning the church Wednesday and the vacuum was clogged.  It never fails.  So I take it apart to unclog it...forgetting to unplug it.  I am reaching in with my hand and accidentally turn it on!  The roller and brush didn't feel so good.  Really bad decision.

Basically, I made some bad decisions.  And it cost me.  Most of what happens in our lives are a result of poorly made decisions.  Some small and they may only cost you a bruise or a few dollars out of your pocket.  Some very large and may cost you some very valuable things in your life including relationships.

How can you avoid making poor decisions?

1.  Make daily decisions the night before.  

Let's say you are struggling with eating healthy.  Make your breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner the day before.  Then when you go to eat a meal, there is no decision that needs to be made.  You have already made that good decision!

2.  Don't make decisions, make commitments.  

Exercise.  (I am telling on myself that I have dropped this in the last month.)  I can come to the day and ask myself...Do I want to exercise today?  The answer will always be no.  So I need to schedule that commitment.  Then when the time comes, there is no decision that needs to be made.  

Some decisions are way bigger.  Count the cost to the commitments that you are making.  Can you continue to fulfill that commitment a year from now?  Three years from now?

3.  Live by principles when you can.

Example:  A principle - I won't use a credit card in my personal finances.  By having this principle, I don't have to make any decision regarding purchases that I don't have the cash for.  We are in a remodeling project right now due to a leaky kitchen pipe.  Much of the renovation is covered by our insurance.  However, we have decided to add in some upgrades and such that will be out of our own pocket.  

Our decisions on this were made by these three facts:

1.  All upgrades will be paid for by cash.

2.  We already have a plan of replacing that cash back into our savings once it is gone.

3.  We will continue our debt payment and stay on course with that plan.  Renovations do not trump our debt plan.  Pleasure should never trump responsibilities.  If you can't afford it, don't!

Get on track with making good and wise decisions today!