DECISIVENESS
Decisiveness vs. Procrastination
The ability to recognize key factors and
finalize difficult decisions.
The first step in defining what needs decisive
action is putting your life on a priority list.
What are the things that are a priority in
your life?
The problem in establishing this, is that you must
be decisive in order to put your list together. A
person that procrastinates will not put the list
together, thus the priorities in their life are never
defined or carried out.
Priorities made simple:
Life: We must survive. The number one priority is
to maintain the best life that you can, so that you
can help others.
In a plane, the flight attendant will tell you that you
must put the oxygen mask on yourself before you
put it on your children. This is so you can think
clearly enough to make good decisions for the rest
of the people that you are responsible for.
In order to be decisive on the decisions that you are
making that include others, you must make sure
that you are physically, mentally, spiritually, and
socially capable of making these decisions.
In order to do this, you must put as a priority the
Spiritual, Physical, Mental, and Social being of
yourself, while at the same time not getting the selfabsorbed, “It’s all about me” attitude.
NOTE: Don’t sacrifice humility for decisiveness.
Character qualities are all together under the same
umbrella, as one character having many
characteristics.
More priorities:
1) Your spiritual, mental, physical and emotional
needs.
2) Your family: their needs (which include job, etc.).
3) Your community: their needs.
Making difficult decisions about the community
when your family is falling apart is out of order.
Thus, prioritize your decisions on your family so as
to be an example to the community. This affects
more people in the long run.
Decisiveness is a character quality that can
recognize key factors and finalize that difficult
decision. The answers to these questions can help
determine what these key factors are:
1) Is it wrong or right?(morally, legally, spiritually)
2) Who does it effect?
3) What is the goal of this decision?
4) Do you have all the facts?
Some have a fear of making a decision because it
may be the wrong one.
Winston Churchill stated: “Success is never final;
failure is never fatal; it is the courage to continue
that counts.”
Nothing can teach you like failure can.
Decisions have to be made, and someone has to
make them.
When we know what is right and just, we must
decide to make our decisions based on that truth
and not just emotions. It will not always be
comfortable, it will not always benefit you at that
moment, but it is the right thing to do.
If you procrastinate, you may never get the chance
to have that moment again.
Example
This person had a difficult childhood, and less than
one year of formal schooling.
Failed in business in 1831
Defeated for the legislature in 1832
Again he failed in business in 1833
Elected to the legislature in 1834
His Fiancée died in 1835
He was defeated for speaker in 1838
He was again defeated for elector in 1840
Married to a wife who was a burden to him in 1842
Only one of his sons lived past the age of 18
Defeated for Congress in 1843
Elected to Congress in 1846
Defeated for Congress in 1848
Defeated for Senate in 1855
Defeated for Vice-President in 1856
Defeated for Senate in 1858
But elected President of the United States in 1860
This President was Abraham Lincoln. At any
time he could have given up and
procrastinated on his decisions to run for
office. His discouragement alone from the
defeats he endured could have kept him from
deciding to go ahead towards his dream. He
did not put off until tomorrow what he knew
he needed to do today.
He ended up being one of the best presidents
that ever lived.
Procrastination is putting off today what you may
be able to do tomorrow.
Anybody that brags about what they are going to
do later, has more than likely been bragging for a
long time about what they were supposed to
accomplish today.
Most of us sit in meetings talking about what we
should be doing, but never making the decisions
needed to accomplish it.
Deciding to lose weight is a good subject to study.
Most of the time that is all it is.
There will be more people going on a diet tomorrow than all those that
are on them today because they hope, but are not decisive about today.
You keep putting it off while you are putting it on.
All the kindness and love planned for tomorrow
doesn’t do anything for today. Tell people you love
them today; make a decision to give roses while the
person is alive instead of procrastinating and then
having to give them when they’re dead.
Employer’s Bulletin.
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can order
someone else to do today.
Some even put off procrastination for as long as
they can get away with it.
People that just want to sit around and wait for
their ship to come in can’t even make the decision
to go to the harbor. We call it lazy.
The man that lets someone else make a decision for
him will more than likely not get the thing he would
have decided on himself. Opportunity flies by until
you decide.
The only thing that you will get by not making
decisions, is old.
Remember a reputation is built on things that you
have done, not things that you want to do.
Group:
This exercise is to stretch your ability to make decisions fast in
emergency cataclysmic events.
It’s moving towards the end of the day and you have been at a
church function where all these families have been helping to
build the church in an open field. Kids and adults alike are
there and all helped.
Everyone is about to go home when a report comes over the
radio of a nuclear attack. It is impossible for all these people to
make it home in time and something must be done.
Horns go off in the near by cities giving warning that seconds
are left until impact.
You are the pastor of the church and feel responsible
for the safety of the congregation, so you must act fast.
There is one bomb shelter on the property that has the
food and supplies for ten people for 90 days
underground. You must choose who will be in the
shelter knowing that whoever is not in the shelter will
more than likely die with millions of others.
Your list of people that you have to choose from are all
friends, and most like family. And you have seconds to
choose knowing that the people trust you to make the
best decision for them. Now you must dig deep for this
character quality that God gave you to help you. Your
list is:
*Your parents who are over 70 years old. (2 people)
*A newly married couple and she is pregnant. (possible 3 people)
*A man that has a felony on his record, but just got his life in order. (1)
*Your wife who has been sick for several years. (1)
*Yourself, who is over 50 and very healthy. (1)
*A young Sunday school teacher who has Diabetes. (1)
*Three children 5,7,and 9 who came to serve water to the workers. (3)
*A visiting neighbor who was the local E.M.T. (1)
*The science teacher from the local school who is over 50. (1)
*A young troubled youth with a “Mohawk” hair cut and an attitude. (1)
*A young man who is a registered sex offender changing his ways. (1)
Discuss why you picked your ten. How hard would this be?