March 08, 2021

110: Decisions: Making and Sticking to Them with Joy

49 minutes

When was the last time you wasted a stupid amount of energy on a seriously non-important decision, like where to eat or what to wear? This morning? Yesterday? 10 minutes ago? I’m completely guilty of this!

Today, we’re going to talk about some ways to combat this, along with some things that will help you make little decisions that will change the course of your entire life.

The choices we make every day – big or small – make up the trajectory of our lives. And so, by learning to make quick decisions and sticking with those, you stop wasting your mental and emotional energy making decisions that seriously don't matter.

Finally, there’s grace in finding joy and gratitude in your decisions. Connect with him to make the right choices through inspiration, or intuition, or the Spirit so you can align yourself with His will. So in times when you feel like it’s not the right choice, trust that the Lord will redirect you and keep you on the right path.

In this episode, you will hear:

A story of a friend whose who got locked out of the car and how he got out of that situation

Jody Moore’s challenge to make choices quicker to stop wasting your time and energy

Lessons from the story of The Shiny Bicycle describing the concept of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

We can be wasting energy or time trying to be considerate of the other person when they maybe don't care that much – so it’s good to ask.

Another way is to let an expert or someone who really knows help weigh in on a decision since they know best.

In his book, Essentialism, Greg McKeown says that “Routine is one of the most powerful tools for removing obstacles.”

How having a routine has changed my life in terms of helping me where I can spend the best amount of my energy every day

Even in our small choices, we can rely on the spirit to help us with making those so we can be the best servants to our Heavenly Father.

There's a responsibility to make the right choices and we need to be responsible for our actions and the consequences of the choices we make.

When we listen and pay attention to spirit, we're able to make better choices. And sometimes, those are answered through other people.

Avoiding decision fatigue: Our ability to execute the essential improves with practice so if we strive to become more decisive, there are things we can take out of our lives that don't need to be decisions we have to make over and over.

If we use up our gas tank on things that maybe don't matter as much, then we're not going to have any gas left when it comes to the things that absolutely must be done.

Once the decision has been made, you no longer have to spend mental and emotional energy on it.

Choices have to be made. Not making a choice is a choice. So learn to choose now and stand for something or you will fall for anything.

Supporting Resources:

“The Three Rs of Choice” Talk by Thomas S. Monson https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/10/the-three-rs-of-choice?lang=eng

“Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” Book by Greg McKeown https://amzn.to/3uI4rTx

“Better Than Happy” podcast by Jody Moore episode 288 “The Speed of Your Decisiveness”

https://jodymoore.com/speed-of-your-decisiveness/

“We Will Prove Them Herewith” Talk by David A. Bednar https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2020/11/12bednar?lang=eng

“Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints” Talk by Russell M. Nelson https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/becoming-exemplary-latter-day-saints?lang=eng

“The Shiny Bicycle” video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItEsXGhcOEs

The Female Foodie Blog: https://www.femalefoodie.com/

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By Corrine Stokoe

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