“Most of us go through live praying a little, planning a little, jockeying for position, hoping but never being quite certain of anything, and always secretly afraid that we will miss the way.”- A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy
In Chapter 1 (“Do The Next Right Thing”) of Do the Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions, Emily P. Freeman points out what keeps us awake at night. It’s the mights and maybes of our lives. Yet, Mrs. Freeman adds, we all handle the pressure of decision-making in different ways.
Furthermore, the specific nature of the decision doesn’t matter. As Emily explains, any unmade decision holds power:
“[Unmade decisions] pull, they push, they interrupt where they aren’t wanted and poke us awake at night. . . . Like toddlers at our feet right before dinner, they follow us around and refuse to leave us alone until we face them head-on and either pick them up or point them in the right direction. If only we knew what the right direction was.”
Therefore, the advice Emily builds her book upon is based upon a concept most famously found in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous – the strength to do the right thing. However, the author observes, unmade decisions smoke out our addictions. Perhaps, Emily states, you:
- find yourself addicted to clarity and certitude – before you move forward, you must be absolutely sure of all the details.
- value approval more than anything else – this accounts for your lack of confidence and chronic case of hesitation.
- find yourself averse to making decisions – hence, you delegate them, avoid them, or make them too quickly.
- consider activity, hustle, or the fast pace of a well-connected life the way to go – as a result, you leave no space to consider what’s best.
Today’s question: Do you find yourself jockeying for position in a field of unmade decisions? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Life plan or clear vision – our addiction to clarity”
