How To Make Major Life Decissions

I made a mistake. Over the last year I’ve been in the midst of some major life transitions. What started as a dream over a year ago has now become my new reality. We are very excited for what’s ahead and the direction we’re going. However, there was a point a few months ago where I made a poor choice and it caused me some pain. I want to share a portion of our journey and four ways to avoid the pain I went through.

You can read about our transition and my primary career change here. Recently there came a point where I had multiple opportunities in front of me. Here is a summary:

Opportunity #1 –  Clearly not right for me.
Opportunity #2 – Low risk, some long term potential, solid opportunity. A good but not great fit.
Opportunity #3 – Long shot, nothing concrete, high risk. Fit me perfectly. Stirred my heart and passion.

#1 was easy, turned it down. #3 was really exciting but it would require patience and didn’t seem like anything would come of it. As I thought about moving forward with #2 I had a check in my spirit (which was God speaking to me,) but I ignored it. I’m a pragmatist. I’m risk adverse. I’m also impatient. So I chose #2.

It was a mistake. Even though I wasn’t pursuing it, shortly there after #3 become a reality and pursued me.  A few weeks later, I had to have some difficult conversations, humble myself, and acknowledge my mistake.

I don’t want you to make the mistake I did. If I had slowed down and taken these four steps I would have avoided some difficult conversations and pain.

4 Steps To Making Major Life Decisions

1. Use Wisdom – think logically through the options before you. Weigh the risks, rewards, costs, and opportunities. Don’t just act out of emotion or impulse. Some of you are very spontaneous. Spontaneity is good in many areas of life, but when it comes to major life decisions it will cause you a lot of pain.
2. Think Long Term – it’s easy to chase after short-term rewards and lose sight of the bigger picture. What does this path look like 1, 3 or 5 years down the road? Besides the immediate gain (like more money or relief from a difficult situation) how will this impact your life, family, and future?
3. Seek The Input Of Others – we need the perspective and input of others. There are often aspects of a situation that we simply don’t see. Our emotions and experience sometimes cause us to be blind to the obvious. Over the last six months, I was diligent in meeting and seeking the input of others. In my next post I’ll talk about the types of people we need to get input from.
4. Pray – God trumps everything. Don’t make a decision and ask him to bless it. Instead, let Him guide, speak into, and redirect you BEFORE the decision is even made. Remember that ‘check in my spirit’ I referred to above? That was God speaking to me. I ignored it and paid a price because of it.

My hope is that I can help you make great decisions and avoid some of the pain I went through.

Question: Are you facing a major life decision? Let me know about it and I’ll pray for you. You can leave a comment by clicking here.