How to Make Fearless, Competent Decisions and Boost Resolve

Good morning, listeners, I’m your host, Wanda Thibodeaux, and I am back with another episode of Faithful on the Clock so you can get your faith and work aligned. Today, since we’re almost to the end of the year, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about setting those OKRs to the side a little and focusing on making real resolutions for yourself and your team. I’m headin’ out, so come on along with me and let’s get started.

Now just to get off on the right foot, let’s clarify. I know a lot of you are probably saying, but OKRs or goals, those are the same as resolutions. They are NOT. Your goal is just your target, OK? It’s the finish line you want to get to. When I say resolution, I’m referring to either a firm decision toward that goal, or to all of the qualities that go into having a real firmness of purpose about whatever that goal might be. So a goal is just where you want to be, but a resolution is a choice. It’s the mentality you need to actually accomplish the goal. And that’s why, I think, you hear of so many so-called New Year’s resolutions failing. People just focus on setting goals, and they don’t actually figure out how to change the way they think before they start.

So, developing clear resolutions, it’s critical for your team because let’s face it. Sometimes work is really hard. It’s not easy to keep plugging along day after day. And especially when you’re starting a company, maybe you have a project that doesn’t really have support yet, you cannot waver. You have to have total confidence and commitment or frankly, you’re just either get pulled into the weeds away from your original vision or you’re just gonna quit. You have to have the entire team being unwilling to back away and really unifying to get results. But the question is, how can you get yourself in that headspace? How can you get a real sense of clarity about doing something?

My first recommendation would be to just ask yourself, why in the world does this, this decision or action make a difference? That’s not just saying, OK, it matters because I want myself, my business, or my society to be this or that way. You know, that’s I think, how most companies build their vision statements, but it’s kind of just the superficial approach to it. It’s digging down one more level and identifying all of the whys or values behind that vision that matters. It’s saying I want myself, my business, or the world to be this or that way because that’s what God laid out, or because you believe integrity protects people, or because you believe, you know, whatever it might be. And if you do that, if you really identify those values, then you can look at what you currently have and say, if I am firm on this, if I stick to this choice and follow through, then I’m going to get however many degrees closer to really living out those values and not being hypocritical about it. Not only that, but if your rationale is really clear and you can explain everything, then you’re more likely to bring people on board who can support you and hold you accountable through everything you have to do.

My second recommendation is to use visualization. This might be vision boards or something like that. It also can mean walking yourself step by step through what you anticipate will happen once you make the decision or whatever changes you need. And the idea here is, the more you visualize, the more you basically train your brain and familiarize it with what’s about to happen. And once you’ve walked through the change process in your mind like that, it doesn’t feel as scary when you actually follow through because you’ve rehearsed it already. Now I think a lot of people use visualization in the positive sense, you know, you imagine everything going well. But it works the other way. You can imagine yourself handling negative scenarios, too. Like, maybe someone tells you that your choice is horrible. You can think of exactly what you’ll say to that ahead of time so when it happens, you don’t waver. You just kind of play out that script you’ve already written in your head and move on and you don’t have to worry. A lot of great athletes, Michael Phelps, he’s known for using this technique before he competes. And in either direction, peer pressure works. So imagine to yourself that others are watching you. If you’d move forward if you had an audience, then imagine that audience already can see what you’re doing and just say, hey, I’m gonna make ‘em proud in my choices and what I do.

And my first two points both connect to the third recommendation, which is to think about the consequences. You know, what is going to happen if you don’t follow through or if you make a different choice? What are the alternatives and where are they going to bring you or your business? Now, to really understand those consequences and alternatives, you really do need data, both from the hard numbers standpoint and general feedback from other people, OK? Luke 14:28 says, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” And Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisors, they succeed.” So be prepared to do your homework, tap whatever resources and networks you have, and get the big picture perspective on your situation. And don’t rush through this. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” You know, others will try to find issues with what you’re planning, they’re gonna be critical about the choices you make. So be thorough. That’s what’s going to really prove to others you’ve thought the decision through, that you really are qualified and that you’re not just being rash.

Fourth, just be honest with yourself. You know, for example, maybe you just don’t want to do the work you know you’ll have to do if you make a certain choice. We’ve all been there. And so you can make all kinds of excuses, oh, I need more money first, or our infrastructure can’t do it, or whatever it is. Weed out those excuses. Throw ‘em out with the trash. Once you lay everything bare like that, you know what your biases are, then it’s much easier to say, this is doable, this does make sense to do, and then just do it.

Now, I want to give you some additional scripture that I think is relevant. Exodus 28 talks about the garments the priests of Israel were supposed to wear. And in verses 15-30 it describes the breastplate for decision-making. And the breastplate had stones with the names of the tribes of Israel engraved, and Aaron would wear the breastplate as a kind of memorial whenever he went into the temple. It was supposed to be this symbol to remind Aaron of God and how the tribes were all important, you know, to make sure Aaron kept their best interests as a priority. So are you really gonna wear a breastplate to work? Probably not. But you can use something else with the same purpose. Maybe you’ve got a picture on your wall in your office of someone you don’t want to let down, for example, and you look at that as you try to make your choice. Or maybe every time you and your team go to work on details for what needs to go down, you start your meeting, you know, as people are coming in, you’re playing a piece of music or hymn that really speaks to what you’re trying to do. It really can be just about anything. But you use those personal breastplates as triggers, to create a routine and just kind of tell your mind and your heart, hey, you know, it’s time to focus on God, do some work and dig in here.

To wrap all this up, I do just want to say, I talked last week in the AI episode about how wisdom is something you can ask God for, just like King Solomon did. But wisdom is just one part of decision making, of resolving to do something. Having courage is the other. You have to have real strength in your heart, real fortitude to not back down away from what you know is true and right. And you absolutely can ask God for that, too. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” And Joshua 1:9 gives more reassurance, and it says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” So whatever it is you have to do, whatever kinds of decisions or changes are in front of you, have confidence, because when you’ve got God supporting you and the work you want to do, there really isn’t anything you can’t win or that won’t work out.

So let’s take a moment to pray.

Father, change, making decisions, that’s not just part of business, that’s part of life. And if we’re going to serve you well, if we’re gonna make things better, then we need help knowing our choices are good and sticking to them. Give us wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it, so that our hearts and minds both are ready to do the work you’ve called us to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I will call it for the day and turn you all loose so we can get out there, but heads up that next week, the show is gonna be all about integrity. What are the signs that you or someone else has it, and how can you do an integrity check on your entire business? I’m looking forward to sharing that with you, and I want you to share with me--go to any of the social media accounts for the show to leave a comment, sign up for our email list at faithfulontheclock.captivate.fm, and be blessed.