{"id":11900,"date":"2017-02-16T20:07:46","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T01:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/?p=11900"},"modified":"2017-02-16T20:07:46","modified_gmt":"2017-02-17T01:07:46","slug":"practical-tips-how-to-be-a-wise-decision-maker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/2017\/02\/16\/practical-tips-how-to-be-a-wise-decision-maker\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical Tips: How to be a Wise Decision Maker"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr \/>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Practical Tips: How to be a Wise Decision Maker<\/h1>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lighthearted comedian Gabriel Iglesias has several stand-up comedy specials. The latest one (2016) is called \u201cI\u2019m Sorry for What I Said When I was Hungry.\u201d The title stood out to me, for some reason, and I started thinking about the truth of it. How often do we lose our temper with loved ones because we\u2019re tired? \u00a0What about taking out a bad day on the cashier at the grocery store? \u00a0I\u2019m guilty of both, and more. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We cannot make good decisions when we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. That\u2019s something I\u2019ve heard AA attendants talk about: H.A.L.T. \u00a0The lesson here is to stop and take stock of your emotional and mental state before you do or something that you\u2019ll regret. \u00a0Abraham Maslow developed the Hierarchy of Human Needs (first published in 1954 in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Motivation and Personality<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). The premise is that human beings\u2019 basic physiological needs (breathing, food, water, and sleep) have to be met before a human being can feel secure, feel loved, feel esteemed, and finally, reach self-actualization. \u00a0At the highest level, humans can think creatively and reason logically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We simply cannot make good decisions when we\u2019re running on four hours of sleep, have low blood sugar, or are dehydrated. I know there are stages of life where sleep is limited, but this cannot be sustained for long periods of time without cost to your health and well-being. I believe that God wants us to take care of our bodies and minds so we can be at our best to serve Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s a few things you can do to help in decision making:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Don&#8217;t try to make decisions in crisis mode.<\/h2>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 19:2<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cAlso it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet errs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 21:5<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cThe plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We experience crisis\u2019s at different times and for different reasons: a car accident, hearing a bad health report, discovering that our home was broken into. At those times, we\u2019re in a heightened emotional state; fight or flight mode is kicking in. We are very reactive. \u00a0Acknowledge that, and give yourself time to calm down. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Take a look at the bigger picture.<\/h2>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 14:1<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cThe wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 14:15<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cThe na\u00efve believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being hungry, angry, lonely, or tired can cause a narrowed view \/ perception of our reality. \u00a0As best as you can, take a step back and look at the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whole<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> situation. Give yourself and others the gift of grace. We must look beyond our immediate circumstances and know that the Lord has a a much larger view point. We must keep in mind the long term picture. We must always look towards our future as well. Decisions for today do not always work out tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Get feedback from trusted people who demonstrate wisdom and care about your well-being.<\/h2>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 11:14<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cWhere there is no guidance the people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is victory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 18:1<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cHe who separates himself seeks his own desire. He quarrels against all sound wisdom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 18:2<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cA fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turning your personal life into water cooler gossip is a terrible idea. Instead, talk with selected trusted friends, mentors, or accountability partners. \u00a0Get their advice and take it into consideration. You are ultimately responsible for your own choices, but hearing others\u2019 perspective can help you see another angle.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Wait for the Lord.<\/h2>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 2:6<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cFor the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><b>Proverbs 3:5-6<br \/>\n<\/b>\u201cTrust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Lord can speak to us when our hearts our open and our minds are still. Pray for guidance and wisdom, and listen. God will make His answer clear. \u00a0He loves us and He wants the best for us.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give yourself the gift of time and space when you have an important decision to make. Take stock of your personal mental and emotional state. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>[Featured image from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/brentbeshore\/2014\/12\/22\/how-we-make-decisions-and-how-to-make-them-better\/#275a51b31e3a\">www.forbes.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Practical Tips: How to be a Wise Decision Maker Lighthearted comedian Gabriel Iglesias has several stand-up comedy specials. The latest one (2016) is called \u201cI\u2019m Sorry for What I Said When I was Hungry.\u201d The title stood out to me, for some reason, and I started thinking about the truth of it. How often do &#8230; <a title=\"Practical Tips: How to be a Wise Decision Maker\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/2017\/02\/16\/practical-tips-how-to-be-a-wise-decision-maker\/\" aria-label=\"More on Practical Tips: How to be a Wise Decision Maker\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25747,"featured_media":12181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[7086,7087,7085],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11900"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25747"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}