To make the decision to do or not do something is an art. Heck, to make a decision on what to eat, who to marry, and what to do in the next hour of our lives – all of it is an art. A fine art. And like fine art, it requires practice and a set of rules. And yet, rarely, are we deliberate about our choices.
We all have different approaches. Some of us make decisions from obligation. Some from rebellion. Some without an ounce of thought before the fact. Some on their mental analysis. Some based purely on their gut feeling.
Over the years, we develop strategies, and we stick to them, but we often don’t know exactly what rule we are following.
Pause for a moment and reflect. How did you get here – even in this moment? What are three decisions you made that led to you sitting or standing right now reading these words.
We don’t have answers for you. Questions, maybe. Invitations, certainly. But here is one thing we know – you don’t typically walk down the street, see a couch with busted pillows, and decide to take it home. In other words, you don’t pick it up and put it in your living room just because it was sitting there.
Accepting to do something or not do it should at least pass the same muster. If it enters your system, if you commit to doing it, it should go through a minimum of inspection: Do I want to do this? Does it move my purpose forward? Does it serve anyone I love? Because if the answer is no, you should leave it out on the street without a second thought.
One of our favorite clients recently made us laugh our heads off. He said, “I have learned to respect my board.” He meant nothing enters his be current system without first going through a few questions, so that what ends up on his board/ life makes sense. Whether you use Trello or Post-Its to track your to-do’s, take a moment, and ask yourself a couple of why questions. And if you’re not getting a clear answer – heck yes or heck no – maybe postpone committing. Respect your board. Your word matters. Don’t give it away on actions you have no business doing.