Watch Your Step!

winter moon

cracked ice

on a lake

Life is filled with tricky situations. The pace of life often forces us to act faster than we should. But is this wise? What advantage do we get by jumping into things headfirst?

You must learn to be more cautious in your daily living. Think carefully, before you make a decision. Plan ahead, so there are no surprises from your brash actions.

But how do we do this? Whenever you are faced with a decision, make a note of it. Acknowledge that you have something important to solve, and that it needs careful planning. If possible, try to write down your problem on a piece of paper.

 Using a pencil or pen, draw a line straight down the middle. On the left side, write pros. On the right side, cons. Take a few minutes to write down all the advantages and disadvantages of the problem that needs to be solved.

When you are finished, take a break for five minutes. When you return, look at the pros and cons with fresh eyes. Notice if there are any serious sides to the problem. If one side seems to be more heavily favored with your notes, that is the side you want to pay special attention to. By doing this, you will make a clear, logical decision without your emotions getting in the way. 

Try this with every important problem you have. As you get used to the process, you will learn how to do this without paper, to makes these decisions in your head clearly and effectively. You will learn how to watch your step. And this will make all the difference.

Think, then act. And you will avoid the cracked ice in your life.