We decide things every day. Big things, little things, important things, small things. There isn’t a day that goes by that all of us don’t decide something.
My question today is “Do you test your thinking”? Strange question? How do you do that? Why do that?
A practice that I find very effective as I have gotten older is to continually test my thinking by talking to others that are wiser, smarter or more successful than I am before deciding something that I feel is important.
It takes time to repeat myself to others. It takes time to listen to their perspective and answer more of their questions. All of this is true.
The value of this discipline is in expanding my understanding around the decision I am about to make. Different points of view always expose different dimensions around an issue and exposes what I missed in my thinking. This always has pushed me to a better decision in the end that was more effective.
Don’t race to get somewhere, for where you end up could be totally unexpected. Seek out people who you respect and are balanced in both their temperament and emotions. It’s the best way I know to keep me from being impulsive at times and lessens my risk of self-sabotaging my efforts because my thinking was so flawed.