A Blueprint for Making Wise Decisions

Procrastination—it creeps in quietly, often disguised as indecision or overthinking. But when you peel back the layers, what lies underneath is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of missing out (FOMO). Yet, as I’ve learned over and over, it’s in the deciding where the magic happens. There is fruit when you take that leap and make a decision.

To think too much about doing a thing often becomes the undoing.” — Eva Young

This quote hits home for me because it’s the truth. The more we delay, the more we let fear win. But when we act, anchored in our values and purpose, we unlock possibilities we never thought were available. Fear loses its grip, and we begin to thrive.

Anchor to Your Core Values

When fear strikes, I’ve found that the best way to stay grounded is to return to my core values—my “moral north.” It’s easy to delay decisions because we don’t want to disappoint someone or risk failure, but we can’t let that stop us from acting in alignment with who we are. As Theodore Roosevelt so wisely put it:

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

Over time, I’ve developed my own guiding principles and I check in with myself often to ensure I’m living by them. Sometimes, I need to recalibrate them, but having a moral compass keeps me focused on what truly matters.

Align with Your Purpose

We are at our most effective when we understand our mission and calling. Mark Twain summed it up perfectly:

The two most important days in your life are the day you’re born and the day you know why.”

But let’s be honest—sometimes we allow distractions to pull us off course. People, opportunities, or habits can drift us away from our core mission. Stay aligned with your purpose. Know your SHAPE—the spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences that define you. When you act from a place of purpose, you act with clarity and power.

Accept Wise Counsel

Proverbs reminds us: “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end, you will be counted among the wise.” Wise counsel doesn’t just help us make the right decisions; it increases the probability of making a wise decision. Surround yourself with a trusted “personal board of directors”—those whose advice is grounded in wisdom and love for you.

I’ve learned to carefully choose whom I seek counsel from. Why? Because I want my decisions to bring me closer to the life that God has for me. And sometimes, we need to be reminded that “the game is only half over.”

The Game is Only Half Over

This brings me to a story about resilience that has always stayed with me—the story of Roy Riegels. He was the UCLA football player who famously ran in the wrong direction during the 1929 Rose Bowl, nearly scoring for the opposing team. His mistake became national news, but his coach didn’t bench him. Instead, he told Roy, “The game is only half over.”

Roy returned to the field and played brilliantly in the second half, proving that mistakes aren’t the end. They’re part of the journey. And Roy went on to have a remarkable career, even being named to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame which shows us all that failure doesn’t define us. It’s how we respond that does.

So, remember, my Muses—the game is only half over. Whatever challenges or delays you’re facing, take heart and take action. There’s still so much ahead for you.

Go forth and be the way, I’m rooting for you, always.

With grace and gratitude,

Amani D.

Subscribe, share and comment. We want to hear from you. Have a question? Submit it here and I may include it in an edition of Monday Morning Musings!