We live in a very faced paced world. Now, more than ever, it is vitally important to be well informed, and decisive in our thought process. Having a clear moral code and standing firm on what we know to be true is crucial.
We need to know how to plan and manage our schedule, so that we can live the life we were meant to live.
We need to know who to trust with our most personal thoughts and feelings.
We need to be able to confidently make decisions each day.
Decisiveness and the Brain
Let’s take a lesson from our amygdala in the brain. The amygdala is located down in the center of our brains and is responsible for helping us know when we are in danger or not. When driving on the freeway for example this very small but critical part of our brain can determine whether or not it is safe to change lanes. It can process a whole bunch of information in a fraction of a second. It evaluates our surroundings and will tell us if it is safe to move, or to stay put where we are. We just need to be listening and paying attention. Of course, we wouldn’t want to do anything that would prevent our amygdala from working properly!
Asking Clear Questions
When we are thinking clearly and paying attention, we can reasonably assess our lives and make good decisions based on the information available. Many decisions are about our everyday routines.
What time am I going to wake up?
What am I going to eat?
What clothes do I wear?
Will I go out with friends tonight or stay home?
Others are more long-term like:
What kind of work do I want to do?
What will I study in college?
Do I want to have a family?
These are just some of the thousands of decisions that we make throughout our lives. 
One thing is for sure, like in Sir Isaac Newton’s 3rd law of physics where every action has an equal and opposite reaction, our decisions have consequences. What we say and do matters, and the small decisions are just as important as the big ones!
Decision to Change Behaviors
How does our decision-making process engage in changing bad or unwanted behaviors?
Can we work to consistently form good patterns of behavior for our own health, growth, and well-being?
Can we stop harmful behaviors that we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, are not good for us?
Can we be decisive reflecting are value system?
Can we grow stronger in our ability to navigate through new territory in our lives?
Dynamic motivational speaker and teacher Jordan Peterson addresses these issues and more. Follow the link below.
Watch Video Now
Jordan Peterson says that we can start by making slight changes, the ones that we are willing to make now. We look to improve each week on our intentional living and become responsible for our decisions.
What can you change now, today? What slight change can help strengthen you?
There is a momentum that develops as we learn to consistently put our best food forward. The positive results and potential for this way of being is immeasurable and is not limited. He also says that our decision to do nothing, and not stand for anything, (basically giving up having any responsibility) will have hellish consequences. I can confirm the truth in that!
Positive change and growth will come to the person who is making well-informed decisions each day and is willing to commit to being responsible regarding those decisions. In the video we heard Mr. Peterson talk about choosing our words carefully and being fully aware of what we were saying. He realized in his life that most of what he had been saying wasn’t being said from a place of strength, and most of it wasn’t even true! It was stuff he thought other people wanted to hear. He decided to become a careful observer to what he was saying. He chose to say only those things that brought him into alignment with a spiritual abstract world, and the physical life he was living. Those thoughts and words that pulled him apart and didn’t align him, he chose not to say.
1 Degree of Change
Have you ever heard about the idea of changing the course of your direction by only 1-degree? It goes something like this. If you believe that the direction you are going needs some small adjustments, or maybe big ones, you can take one day at a time, and one step at a time in the process of getting there. 
Right now, you are facing a particular direction, and life has been going the way it’s been going. Let’s say you decide to turn slightly in a new direction, say a 1-degree turn. Well, 1-degree may not seem like much of a change, and in fact other people may not even notice any change in you at all at first. But if you walk that 1-degree change out each day, after a while, you can see that you will end up in a very different place than if you were to continue going in the same line and same direction as before. Stretch this out over weeks, months, and even years, and the territory you are walking on will be vastly different.
Learning the Lingo
The recovery rooms around the country are filled with phrases like “one day at a time,” “it works if you work it,” “keep it simple,” and “stay in the solution.” These phrases are talking about perseverance, courage, and not biting off more than you can chew. There are times when we realize how much work there really is to do, and we might be tempted to get discouraged, especially if we have neglected our responsibilities for a while. Don’t be discouraged. Start with those slight changes. Stay with it. Listen to other people who are doing similar work to you, who are dedicated to making that 1-degree change, or maybe even doing a 180, and starting completely fresh!
Conclusion
The decisions that you are making, including doing the work of these educational modules and committing to sobriety each day has already had positive effects. You are becoming more aware of the opportunities ahead of you and realizing that no matter where you have been, your future is not dictated by your past, yet you can learn from it! You are walking in new territory that may be unfamiliar for many of you and a strong reminder for others.
Question for Reflection: What does the rest of your schedule today look like? What could it look like?
Helpful Links
12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson