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decide about his potential move
and job change?
Let 's look at some important
considerations in decision-making.
Making Wise Decisions
The Bible, as longtime readers of
The Plain Truth
know, contains
much helpful advice on how to live
successfully.
If
we read this book
carefully, we can gain the wisdom
to make right decisions.
•
Ask God for overa/1 direction
and wisdom.
The Bible tells us not
to trust in ourselves, but rather to
trust in the God who stands back
of his promises.
Even King Solomon, the wisest
man who ever lived, admitted to
God,
"1
am a li ttle child; I do not
know how to go out or come in" (I
Kings 3:7).
J ames 1:5 says,
"If
any of you
lacks wisdom, Jet him ask of God,
who gives to aJI liberally and with–
out reproach, and it will be given to
him."
So God's help in making wise
decisions is based on one's willing–
ness to trust what the Bible says
and do what God commands.
There are other important steps
to good decision-making, but this
one is the most important of all.
Unless we follow it, we continue to
trust in our own wisdom, justas we
may have throughout our lives.
And we will continue to lack all the
vision necessary to steer a com–
pletely successful course through
life. Only God has that vision.
•
Ger all the facts.
Are you sure
you understand the entire situation
correctly? Make sure you have all
the vital information needed before
you decide anything.
For instance, Louis Jones needs
to evaluate bis own town and the
area to which he is thinking of
moving. Perhaps better jobs are
also available in his own town. Has
he asked anyone in authority at his
own company about more training,
or expressed the desire to take on
more responsibility and become a
more valuable employee? Maybe
with certain night schooling Louis
could qualify for promotions or
raises or better positions.
How do Louis' wife and children
feel about the move? Is the job
situation really any better
in
the
new city? How much higher are
February 1986
salaries? How much cheaper is
housing? How much will the move
cost? Can he afford it? ls the new
city suffering from or beginning to
suffer from recession, just like his
town? What are schools for his
children like
in
the new area?
Until you have answered as
many of the legitimate questions
about your situation as possible,
you don't have all the information
you need to make the best decision.
•
Consider the long-range im–
pact of the decision.
Look at the
possible consequences from every
angle. You may discover an impor–
tant consideration you have over–
looked.
If Louis moves, he and bis wife
will be leaving many family mem–
bers and lifelong friends behind.
Are they willing to do that? They
will also be leaving familiar scenery
and climate. Some people who
move to milder climates even find
that they miss the harsher winters.
On the other hand, new challenges
and new responsibilities
may help Louis break out
of a personal rut and
recharge him with new
enthusiasm.
lt
helps to make a writ–
ten list of pros and cons
Get
wise coun$el.
For example,
befare changing jobs,
check
~th
chambers
of commerce and
state employment
departments in
the area.
applying to any decision. This
forces you to take the time neces–
sary to consider the entire decision
in detail.
It
keeps you from treat–
ing lightly any unpleasant effects
that could result. Do the positive
benefits outweigh the negative pos–
sibilities?
•
Decide what your personal
goals are.
Identify your most im–
portant priorities in any situation.
Goal-setting is the very first law to
life success. Perhaps you bave
never set real goals, or you have
trouble deciding what goals to
shoot for. For more information on
goal-setting, send for our helpful
booklet
The Seven Laws of Suc–
cess.
It details the all-important
process of goal-setting and the
other basic principies that lead to
success in life.
Make sure the long-range results
of any decision you are contemplat–
ing are in line with your overall life
goals.
•
Be willing to change.
One of
tbe hardest things for any of us to
do is admit that we might be
wrong. But admitting error is the
first step to positive change.
How many of us, for example,
have held to preconceived notions
that we later- sometimes too
late- learn to be false? How many
of us have lamented,
" If
only l'd
known then what
l
know now"?
Since you are looking to God for
overall guidance, ask him to bring
to your attention any influencing
factors of which you are not aware.
I know a certain person who
spent severa] years working at un–
satisfying, unprofitable clerical
jobs, assuming tbat clerical and
secretarial work was all she could
do. Later, events pushed her to ex–
plore a previously unrecognized
creative talent in a completely dif–
ferent field, the florist business.
The change was a revelation to
ber! She made the right decision–
to follow what she now realized she
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