This is a partial excerpt from a recent book by Pastor Andy Stanley – Better Decisions; Fewer Regrets.
Rarely, do we have to sell ourselves on a good idea. For if it is truly a good idea, it rarely needs a defense. It’s those bad ones that do.
Allow me show you how it works.
When our heart gets wrapped around something, or someone, we experience a desire, a “want,” so to speak. So, the heart sends a message to the brain: “Hey brain, I want this. Figure out a way to justify it, and get it for me.”
Now our brains are smart – that’s why we call them brains. And our brain knows that whereas it’s difficult to justify a want, it’s not so difficult to justify a need. So, the first thing the brain does is upgrade the message to, “You NEED this.”
Now that we are convinced that we do NEED this, it’s easy to sell ourselves on it – regardless of what everyone, and anyone, else might say.
So, before long, we have a list of justifications for buying it, drinking it, taking it, staying, leaving, lying, asking it out, or asking it in. But the reasons now, that we used to sell ourselves, aren’t really reasons, they are justifications. Justifications for what we WANT to do. And justifying is really a form of, “just-a-lying” to ourselves. And it’s those lies that lead to problems.
So, allow me to offer a couple of thoughts. First, when you add a question, to your first question, of what you are considering to do, you probably should wait before you make that decision. You see, if you had an inner peace, nothing would be in question, right?
Secondly, if you truly care about the choices you are making, have two or three trusted voices speak into them – and then, listen.
