When I replaced my old desk a few weeks ago, I pulled a bunch of stuff out of it and more or less threw it in a pile on the new desk. But today, I finally got around to going through that pile, and I came across a small laminated card that I hadn’t seen in many years.
It was a wallet card from the back of the book, “Yes or No: The Guide to Better Decisions” by Spencer Johnson. And the card is a nice concise summary of the entire book; if you really understand the ideas, then the card is enough to remind you of all the things you should consider when making a decision.
But I was kind of surprised by what a couple of the questions said, because I hadn’t really understood them until earlier this year, and so I hadn’t been making full use of them. And then I rediscovered them, having long forgotten that they were even mentioned by the book. But you’ll probably recognize these questions too, if you’ve listened to the workshop replay:
- “What would I decide if I wasn’t afraid?”
- “What would I do if I deserved better?”
About half of the questions on the card deal with the “practical” or “head” side of making decisions, but these are at the core of the “personal” or “heart” side. “Does my decision show I am honest with myself, trust my intuition, and deserve better?” The card goes on to say that if the answer is yes, you proceed, and if no, you rethink.
The fact that this card popped up today, of all days, is an interesting coincidence. Tomorrow, early registration will be closing for all levels of the Seven Days to Live Your Dreams program, so now is the time when you need to make your decision to participate.
Now, if you’ve already decided, congratulations. You’ve already taken what’s in some ways the hardest step. Getting from a general idea that you need to do something about your life, to the specific commitment of actually doing something can take far longer than actually changing!
But if you’re still on the fence, or if you’ve ruled out the idea because of the cost, the timing, or just because you don’t believe that this sort of thing is for you, well, I’d like to suggest that you ask yourself the “Yes or No” questions. What would you decide if you weren’t afraid? What would you do if you deserved better?
Of course, I’m not saying that those questions necessarily mean you should participate in the Seven Days program. For some people, the answers might be the exact opposite! But the important thing is that you make the decision that’s right for you – whichever decision it is. Either way, you have absolutely nothing to lose by asking the questions!
So it’s now less than 24 hours till the workshop replay line goes silent, and the MP3 download disappears from the web. If you haven’t listened yet, you need to do it right away. And then you can make your decision. What will you say to yourself and your dreams? Will it be “yes”… or “no”?
