On November 1st I posted a blog – Need an extra $14,000 – in which I shared that we had 4000 copies of 48 Days to the Work You Love that we wanted to get out of inventory. Here’s the picture of Brian Nash, a local Franklin attorney, as we are loading the last few cases in his van late Saturday evening. I offered them at $1.00 each and suggested some ideas for making money. Many of you responded with possibilities but Brian was the only one who made an actual offer – $2000 for all 4000 books – and they are now his.
A recent Harvard Business School study asked the question: “What are the top 
characteristics of high achievers?” Of course, in the list were things like intelligence, education, and attitude. But at the very top of the list one thing stood out — Speed of Implementation, having the ability to act quickly. 80% of decisions should be made immediately.
Robert Schuller has a saying that speaks to this issue: “Indecision is the greatest thief of opportunity.” Or what about this quote from D.L. Moody: “Every mistake I’ve made in my life, I made when I thought twice.”
What does the Bible add to these thoughts, or rather what does the Bible say that is the basis for these modern thoughts? In James, Chapter 1, verses 6-8 we are told:
“He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
The picture here is of a man who is drunk, staggering from side to side on the road and getting nowhere. James says vividly that such a man is “dipsuchos,” which literally means a man with two souls, or two minds, inside him. One believes, the other disbelieves; and the man is a walking civil war in which trust and distrust of God wage a continual battle against each other.
Indecision is a crippling characteristic. Indecision in one area will carry over its negative effects to other areas of one’s life. I have seen parents, unsure about selecting a school for their child, become almost incapable of functioning for months, agonizing over this decision. I have seen individuals frustrated in their jobs who remain in toxic corporate cultures because they are unable to make the decision to move on. Self owned businesses that have all the fatal signs of failure and yet the owners appear trapped in not being able to make the decision to draw that line in the sand and stop the deepening hole.
Joanne and I have used a concise process for all the years of our marriage. When confronted with a decision, we allow a two-week maximum for arriving at a decision. Whether it is where to move, what kind of car to purchase, making a career or business decision, or how to handle a difficult relationship with a relative, we approach the process as follows:
1. State the problem
2. Get the advice and opinions of others
3. List the alternatives
4. Choose the best alternative
5. ACT
Yes, this process must be bathed in prayer. But a daily walk with God should provide confidence in moving ahead quickly with most decisions.
You too can deal effectively with the challenge of making solid decisions. Don’t be indecisive, and unstable in all your ways. Rather, walk in the strength, confidence and boldness that come from decisive action.
Brian has a large Hispanic clientele – he’s planning on offering the books at $5.00 each which at this point would actually make him $18,000. Opportunities are like that. Quick action may make it even better than anticipated.
