“…choose you this day whom ye will serve…” ~Joshua 24:15.
By the time you read this, you will already have made several thousands of choices today. Are you tired yet? Probably not, since you’ll make around 35,000 choices before you go to bed.
- Food and drink.
- What to wear.
- Words.
- Where to go.
- What to watch on TV.
- Which book to read.
- The people you associate with.
- Who to talk to, who to avoid.
- To play or not to play.
- To rest or not to rest.
More importantly, every day, you choose to be happy or sad, grateful or unappreciative, positive or negative, hopeful or hopeless, vengeful or forgiving, victim or victor, healthy or unhealthy. And you decide daily whether to follow God or the world, spend money or not, build a future, or stay stuck. 
These choices are the defining elements in your life, and they create your tomorrows—for good or bad, success or failure. Sure, your choosers break down occasionally, and you make a series of wrong choices. But that’s okay—you can fix your chooser and move on.
Go ahead and make those 35,000 choices, but let’s talk about the quality of those choices because what you decide today will carry a lot of weight tomorrow.
Indeed, you have the freedom and power to choose. It’s a God-given right that starts with the ability to choose life or death and heaven or hell.
We’ll argue and fight for the right to choose. We’ll die on that mountain. And then, when we get that right, we’ll build a camp there and be content to be stuck. Or we’ll make a decision so we can “show ’em.”
Since making the right choices are important, here are some dos and don’ts.
- Never choose in a hurry. Time should be on your side. If it’s not, slow down and ask more questions.
- Never choose with your emotions. Wait until the dust settles.
- Never feel pressured to make a specific choice.
- It may sound odd, but make significant choices in the morning, not the evening. Your cognitive brain thinks better then.
- Never, never make a decision based on fear.
- Seek counsel when making decisions, especially significant choices. It’s okay to use a lifeline. Phone a friend.
- Slow down. Hasty choices generally come back to haunt you.
- Write down your options. This will always bring clarity and provide direction. Seeing (on paper) is believing.
- Make your own choices. Don’t copy off your neighbors’ page.
- You can trust your instincts. You’re probably right more often than you’re not.
- Ask God. Mark Batterson says, “The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered simply because they go unasked.”
The more extensive choices in life are the ones we put off, or they’re ones we are often tempted to make in haste or with emotions. Generally, they fall into these five categories:
- Job/business/career.
- Finances.
- Health.
- Relationships.
- Spiritual or mental well-being.
These big choices stress us the most, leaving us with sleepless nights, worrisome days, and distractions that lead to unhealthy lifestyles. They often take more to undo, so follow the DOs and DONTs closely, make your decision confidently, and trust God.
Learn from the past and do the due diligence on the future, but don’t stay stuck in the present. That’s impossible anyway because the world moves forward, even if you don’t.
What big decision is looming? How can you use our DOs and DON’Ts to help guide you through the decision maze? Can you set aside some time and make a quality choice for your life?
Choose well. Choose wisely.
“You are not the victim of the world, but rather the master of your own destiny. It is your choices and decisions that determine your destiny.”
~Roy T. Bennett.