Glimmers of Joy from Outagamie County Extension (posted monthly)
From Karen Dickerell:
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Priorities |
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Life is cluttered with all types of options and challenges and the joy often gets buried. Over the years I have taught a variety of classes to many different audiences. One of the basic underlying issues for many is the ability to make decisions and set priorities. I challenge you this month to think about how you make decisions in your life and what changes you could possibly make so you see more glimmers of joy in the every day moments. We sometimes make decisions without even thinking about what we are doing. We might rely on habits, defaults, the coin toss and when it is really important, hopefully employing careful decision making. Habits can be good and they can be bad -- sometimes it is the perspective and/or the environment that makes the difference. Think about some good habits you have developed over time...how do you make sure you continue those good habits? Perhaps you have good eating habits, your exercise every day, you take care of yourself. Bad habits can be often seen in how we deal with the not so good parts of our life, lack of exercise or eating the "wrong" kinds of foods too often. Think about the habits that bring those glimmer of joy and hope to your life. A decision by default is when you choose to not take action, what will be will be. For some things in life that is OK, if you can accept the consequences. So not paying your electric bill may result in your not having electricity... or not renewing a subscription means you might not have the paper or magazine to read any longer. Not addressing personal issues can build deep holes and make for difficult family relationships. This can drain any joy we might find in our life. Using a coin toss to make a decision is usually when it is a 50/50 kind of option. Tail I walk, heads I run. Tails we make macaroni, heads we have chili. The end result is not anything detrimental to our way of life or thinking. So think carefully before using the coin toss to make a decision or set priorities! Probably not a good idea to toss a coin if your trying to decide to marry someone or not... Careful, Effective decision making to set priorities has seven basic steps that include: 1.) Identify the decision 2.) Gather relevant information 3.) Identify the alternatives 4.) Weigh the evidence 5.) Choose among alternatives 6.) Take action 7.) Review your decision and its consequences |