Making Decisions

As we move through life, as we move through each day we are confronted with decisions that need to be made. Many are simple decisions we make in split-second thought processes without hesitation and we move forward. Most decisions are inconsequential and have no direct lasting impact on us or those around us. For most decisions we make we have the knowledge, experience, wisdom, and intangible ability to make that move us forward without reservation.

Have you had a decision in the last week or month that seemed to be pivotal in nature? Have you had a decision that had the ability to be consequential on your family, your kids, your spouse, your teammates, the people you lead, your community, your church, your school, or your business? We have at AMC, and that decision is do we hire another veterinarian or not?

Most often the decisions we feel to be the most consequential revolve around our health, our money, or our family. We tend to have the cerebral part of our brain create a pause allowing us to think deeper and more broadly on potential lasting effects from these sort of decisions. Maybe your decision is about retirement or a recommended course of treatment for you, or maybe it about the choice of school for your kid to attend, or what activity our kids should participate in. Maybe it is your lesson plans for the week as a teacher, or what to plant on an irrigated quarter of farm ground? We could go on with the potentials, but the greatest question is, are you seeking trusted guided counsel in your decisions? Are you seeking input from people that care about you genuinely and have your best interests in mind? Are you seeking input from others that have “done it” before you?

The opportunity to seek trusted counsel from trusted sources is greater than ever given the massive amounts of communication options out there today. But the biggest problem is we often don’t seek trust counsel. We don’t seek input, and we make difficult decisions without asking others who have gone before us. Those people are usually more than willing to give us perspective we may have never thought about. Counsel can also give us the wisdom to eliminate bumps in our road. Counsel may have a much more clear and unbiased perspective to help us in our decision. The good news is, 99% of the time, there is trusted counsel out there that has gone before us, lived our scenario, screwed it up before, and can give us guidance!

The bad news is, our ego is often stopping us to seek trusted counsel. Our pride and arrogance get in our way and is the devil in action leading us to think we can “go it alone”. Our pride and ego give us a false sense of intellectual prowess to “go it alone”. Even if we ask for advice, are we truly listening? Or is your mind already made up and you are looking to just massage their ego? The second piece of bad news is arrogance often bristles and resists advice when it is given. The key to all of these aspects is a greater mind of humility that opens our hearts to the fact that others might have better answers or might be right.

Success breeds confidence, but unchecked confidence breeds arrogance and ego. We all make decisions daily. We also make pivotal decisions periodically that we likely should seek trusted counsel because they may have a better answer. Simply asking trusted counsel, “what do you think?” can be the most powerful, pivotal, unsought opportunity that could have the ability to change your world. When was the last time you asked your wife “What do you think?” When was the last time you asked your most trusted friend “What do you think?” When was the last time you asked anyone “What do you think?”

For our decision to our question, “Do we hire another veterinarian or not?” Through many conversations, answering many questions, seeking input from others, looking at all angles, we have arrived at our decision. I didn’t make the decision on my own, neither did my partner. Most decisions we make aren’t ours to make alone because the greater good is bigger than us as individuals. So are your decisions. They aren’t just about you and your thoughts, they are about the collective thoughts and greater good of all those around you.

If we all stepped forward with more humility to open our hearts to the simple fact that others may have a better idea, better answer, or they may be right, we never will know the greater world of opportunity that could be erected from simply humbly seeking input from others. It is time for you to release your heart of arrogance and ego to a new world of possibilities! Going it alone won’t give you the maximum fruitful results as seeking guidance and input from trusted counsel!