I thought I’d give you an update on a couple of decisions I’ve recently made. Over the past six weeks in two blog posts, I shared about a decision I was considering. One was whether to continue my gym membership in my October 20th post “Did Jesus have a six-pack?” And the other decision was, if I would continue posting on Instagram in my October 27th blog “Technology Rules! Or Technology Rules?” So, have I decided? In both instances “Yes I have.” For both situations, my decision was No. As of November 12th, I am “gymless. And my final post to Instagram was on November 15th.
It’s interesting, most of the time people view a decision to say “no” as a negative thing. However, “no” is often the best decision and the most positive response you can give. I made a decision, and it was NO. So, you may ask, “Why?” You’ve acknowledged in past blog posts that you are and avid exerciser, love to run, enjoy sports and strength training, “Why drop your gym membership?” And “why stop posting on Instagram and eliminate a channel that gives your content greater potential reach and exposure?”
Good questions. Without going into all the details, I thought through the issues and implications, weighed the pros and cons, prayed through each decision and decided this was what was best. I didn’t agonize, second guess, or procrastinate. My decision to discontinue my gym membership was more about motive and mindset, not minimizing my exercise program. I’m just as active now as I was before dropping my gym membership. Deciding to stop posting on Instagram was also about motive and mindset, but also about not violating my ethics or compromising my integrity. End of story, decisions made. You might disagree with my choices and that’s fine. But I didn’t allow indecisiveness to set in.
Life is all about the decisions we make. So many people today seem to be afraid of making decisions. They delay making decisions and the result is uncertainty, lack of action, lack of traction, and unmet potential. A key to rest and life-balance and living life on and with purpose is the decisions we make. As a type-A personality few things frustrate me more than being in an environment where those around me can’t or won’t make decisions. I’m not talking about making snap or rash decisions without taking into consideration the consequences our decisions have on our lives, our families, and those around us. Obviously, many of life’s decisions carry more “weight” and take longer to make than others. Deciding where to go for dinner with the family or what to wear today is much different than considering a career move or making a major financial investment. I’m talking about making decisions through effective processes. Making deliberate decisions, not being gripped by fear, uncertainty, procrastination, or “analysis paralysis.”
Every day we make 100’s of decisions that impact our life’s trajectory. We make decisions that impact and influence the lives around us, in our families, churches, at work, and in the marketplace. Will every decision you and I make be the right one? Of course not. But indecisiveness leads to a life of fear, frustration, failure, lack of faith and unfruitfulness.
Decision making and clutter in our lives are very closely related. Clutter in every area of life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is caused by procrastination or postponed decisions. Change comes through actions; actions happen through decisions. Any change is a result of the decisions we make. The cover screen of my cell phone has this message on it, and every time I unlock it, I see these words, “Just do the next right thing.”
The Rest Stop 
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