I have read every book that Andy Stanley has ever written…not because we always have a similar theology or philosophy…but because I believe he has a lot to say about leadership, stewardship, and intentionality. Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets was a great read and I’ll definitely be sharing copies of this with people God puts in my path to encourage as they are making decisions.
I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…
- Good questions lead to better decisions. And better decisions lead to fewer regrets. Location: 92
- Clay Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School, said, “Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven’t asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go. It hits your mind and bounces right off. You have to ask the question—you have to want to know—in order to open up the space for the answer to fit.” Location: 106
- The Integrity Question: Am I being honest with myself . . . really? The Legacy Question: What story do I want to tell? The Conscience Question: Is there a tension that deserves my attention? The Maturity Question: What is the wise thing to do? The Relationship Question: What does love require of me? Location: 138
- Your decisions . . . along with your responses to other people’s decisions, which are also your decisions . . . are about the only thing you can control in life, which means your decisions are how you control your life. Decisions are your steering wheel. Your joystick. Your keypad. Which means . . . and this is big: Your decisions determine your story. Location: 150
- Our decisions are heavily influenced by our emotions and our appetites. Location: 187
- As soon as you start selling you on anything, you should hit pause. Here’s why. We rarely have to sell ourselves on a good idea. Location: 231
- Private decisions have public outcomes.Location: 287
- Exceptional self-leadership, not authority, is the key to sustained influence. Location: 316
- As Steven Covey famously stated: “You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved your way into.” Location: 415
- most of us want to be proven right more than we want to know what’s true. We aren’t on truth quests. We’re on confirmation quests. Location: 539
- Decision #1: The Integrity Decision I will not lie to myself even when the truth makes me feel bad about myself. Location: 743
- Question #2: The Legacy Question What story do you want to tell? Location: 836
- Decision #2: The Legacy Decision I will decide a story I’m proud to tell. I will not decide anything that makes me a liar for life. Location: 1,232
- Question #3: The Conscience Question Is there a tension that deserves my attention? Location: 1,306
- Decision #3: The Conscience Decision I will pause even when I can’t pin- point the cause of my hesitation. I will explore, rather than ignore my conscience. Location: 1,603
- Question #4: The Maturity Question What is the wise thing to do? Location: 1,706
- In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing for me to do? Location: 1,835
- Every year or so, I ask the folks in our organization the following question: What breaks your heart? Location: 1,914
- Decision #4: The Maturity Decision I will do the wise thing. Location: 1,969
- Everybody ends up somewhere in life. I recommend you end up somewhere on purpose. Wisdom paves the way. Location: 1,998
- Question #5: The Relationship Question What does love require of me? Location: 2,223
- Love requires us to see and believe the best while choosing to downplay the rest. We might as well believe the best about each other. Nothing is gained by doing otherwise. Love chooses a generous explanation when others don’t meet our expectations.Location: 2,285
- Decision #5: The Relationship Decision I will decide with the interests of others in mind. Location: 2,316
- Love fills the gaps. Love reduces the friction created by our limited insight, knowledge, and judgment-inhibiting experiences. There is much I don’t know. There are things I’ll never understand. But my ignorance does not impede my capacity to put others first. Location: 2,345