If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5 NIV
Decision-making often feels like driving in the fog. The future is murky and indistinct. It feels risky, sometimes scary, yet time does not stand still. It drives forward. How do we successfully navigate the unknown? Clear thinking is a skill set that must be learned. Our kids need to practice it for years before playing for real. Let’s discuss some of the factors that get in the way.
The first thing we must manage to make good decisions is fear. I think of fear as a strange creature that grows to fill all the space it is given. Give it free rein and it will fill your thoughts, rule your mind, and corrupt all your decisions. Fear cripples your ability to use logic and analyze data. When it sits at the wheel, you can barely do anything at all. Should fear be banished, then? No! A healthy level of fear keeps us from doing dangerous things. It serves the useful purpose of crash avoidance. The key is to give it a voice, but not too much power. A wise person buckles fear into a backseat. A fool lets fear drive.
What about optimism? Does it have a place in clear thinking? Optimism tells us the sky is blue. The sun is bright. The roads are ice-free and well-maintained. It blasts its exciting music through the stereo and urges us to speed up. It sings at the top of its lungs, “The future is bright. Dah Dum. Dah Dee. Filled with endless possibility.” It fills our minds with images of boundless horizons, certain success, unsoiled fun, and, always, perfect visibility. Drive fast. Cruise on. Embrace the ride. I must confess that I am an optimist. When I open my eyes each morning, my default settings are hopeful and confident about the future. I feel as if the world must be full of joy and rich experiences, made just for me! The problem with unbridled optimism is that it can’t see the world as it is. It misses the hazard signs, the hairpin turns, and the black ice.
