Decisions, Decisions

Decisions -  "a choice that you make about something after thinking about it : the result of      deciding: the ability to make choices quickly and confidently"


We all have decisions to make. Right now, I can only speak for myself, I've "one" I need to make and that's going to change the total course of my future. The decision making process is not an easy one when you're an adult, about twice as hard when your a military vet. Then let's add the ongoing out processing from living a "cult" lifestyle for over a decade. Now, you see an opportunity that will be the icing on the cake for a new beginning. This is the mirror that's in front of me and I believe I've made the decision. However, the decision I've made came with much consultation with loved ones and then I had to face my inner self saying, so what now David? Adulthood, boy, my parents warned me.

So, where am I headed with this?

As adults, even some of us young folks who are handling the load of responsibility have to deal with decisions daily. Lawyers, doctors, therapists, business owners, athletes, parents, abandoned kids living on the street, musicians. We all have to deal with making decisions. What we wear. What we spend. Where we go. How we make music. Why do believe in certain principles. When we need to make a decision. Some times, we have to make decisions very fast, other times, we have an allotted time to make decisions. At my job, we are trained to utilize the tools we've been given to make decisions on cases. Some times, we have to consult with others to help us make decisions so we can move a case forward (that might be a group of us, these cases are hard sometimes). Some times, the cases are easy and it's first nature to process. Other times, it make take us days to finish a case. So it is with this thing we call life. Some decisions are easy and requires no stress. Other decisions, well, those may require a couple of phone calls and maybe a glass of Mascato. Yet a decision must be made and only you can make it. They got it so control for us at work that we have no other choice be to work the case given to us unless our bosses take it from us. So it is in life. Things like opportunities, money woes, changes in relationship statuses, and relocation decisions will have to be made and won't go away until those decisions are made.

I know and you know, we all have been given cards to play. No matter how good or bad we got a hand, we have to play them. God has given us so many resources and prayer may not be one them when we need to make an on the spot decision.

Choose well....I know I have to real soon......

Til next time, The Big O......

Stop Being Indecisive

I remember when I was in training for my current job in December 2012, my good friend Jonathan Edwards (wassup homie!) came to visit me and we had a really good conversation. After we finished shopping in one of the malls in B-more (Baltimore), he stopped and said this, "David, you're indecisive." I looked at him with a blank look and he broke it down to me Barney style, "You can't make up your mind about anything." For about two days, we would walk around looking for places to shop or eat and I couldn't make up my mind about anything. With his mouth, he was like cool but his body language told an entirely different story. In hindsight, my best friend told me the truth. After knowing this guy who I met in Mount Holly, New Jersey (out of nowhere) for 7 years at the time, I literally became an indecisive individual. I couldn't make up my mind about nothing. I just couldn't. I would say I would do something, just about anything, and moments later would question my decision. Then he began to break down why. The why answers he shared with me was that I allowed a lot of situations and people's perceptions of what my life should be in their eyes hinder my decisiveness (the ability to make a decision and go with it). Within the time we've known each other, I was sort of "indoctrinated" to "walk by faith" but still lived in fear (of what others would think or for their approval, fear of failure, actions to taint my image in society). The way I was brought up, the "gut mechanism" was my best friend and sometimes worst enemy. However, I would make a decision and that was it, I'm gone. But through a long period of indoctrination of a "religious" and wacky system, I allowed my gut to become thought of as what was taught, "nothing but the devil" or my "heart above all is wicked"(which is true but when God is in it, what can man say to you?). He said a couple of other things that I didn't like but accepted as truth because it was. I allowed myself to get caught up in a train of thought that was holding my life up, sort of like a mental prison facility (now I refer to as Alcatraz). One year and a couple of months later, my decisiveness is back, baby. Before some recent "conversations" (which I will share certain concepts with you all next week so hold tight!), I broke the back of the backlog of my indecisiveness. I threw away different indoctrinations, advice, and literally crap that was disallowing me a full night's rest for almost a half a week. I said, I'm going to do this no matter what people think about me, my decision making, or what the outcome will be. Not only did I make the decision to confront some things (and people) in my past before my transition into newness, I went through with it. I picked up the phone and did what I felt necessary to do and boom, things in my life are now flowing freely like a river. The result of being a decisive person is making a decision and going through with it despite what other people and situations are saying to you. The best example I can only give us is Jesus. Whatever he thought to do, he did it, no matter what those stupid Pharisees or at times inept disciples would say or think about him. Like at Mr. Tibbs (my old school crew know who I'm talking about), he saw things or people that needed to get corrected and he did so. These and many more people in life are examples of decisive people, people who make decisions quickly, accurately, and with confidence. As Jonathan said to me in B-more is what I tell you all to do; that is to stop being indecisive. Make up your mind. If you know something or someone is not good for you, make the decision and go through with it. If you need to make a decision or do something that's going to benefit you, why wait? Do it! I believe we use "prayer" as a mechanism to mask our fears of making decisions. But if God puts it in your heart to do it, maybe he's letting you know that this is the right time. Of course people around you are going to question you but who are they? Are they God? This may cause a rift between you and them. Cool. Okay, some people that's in your life may not want to be around you and will talk about you. Heck, I got some folks talking about me and my wife right now. But one thing they can say about us, we stopped being indecisive. We're no longer living in a bubble of fear and doom. We make decisions now and we go with it. And the greatest part of all, decisiveness gives you the strength and freedom not to care what other people are thinking or saying about you. You basically through the hand up like Ms. Ceily did to Mister in "The Color Purple." There are so many blessings in being decisive.

I hope this advice helps you all, like it helped me, my friends.


Til Next Time, dgwo81....