Hindsight

Hindsight dan skognes leadership development trainer coach motivation blogger

 

There is an old saying that hindsight is 20/20.  I think that statement is only partially true.  The reason I say that is because if hindsight was 20/20, would we not learn from our mistakes the first time?

I don’t know about you, but I have made way too many mistakes more than once.  I thought about it a long time and you know what I concluded?  I CHOSE to ignore the warning signs.  I deliberately chose to do something which was unwise.  Pretty dumb when you look at it like that, but at least I have come to the point in life where I recognize the warning signs now and as a result I make far fewer bad choices.

How do you know you are making a bad choice?

  • You usually get a gut check.  That little voice in your head saying, “Don’t do it!”  Start listening to that voice.  It is always good to wait if your gut is telling you “No.”
  • You have made this bad choice before and find yourself ready to do it again.  Whatever it is….relationships, financial decisions, etc., etc., if you have done this previously and had BAD results, think twice before making this decision.  Don’t expect different results if you are doing the same thing again.
  • You run the idea past a person you love and trust, someone who is grounded emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, and THEY get a gut check and say, “No.”  It is good to have two or three people in your life that you can be totally transparent with and they will tell you the truth….not just what you want to hear.  If you don’t have people in your life like that, seek them out.  It will save you a lot of headaches and heartache.

Hindsight is definitely something to heed.  History has a way of repeating itself for those who ignore the past, but this is just part of the equation in decision making.  Here are some additional things to consider in making any important decision:

  • Evaluate the risk involved in the decision.  What will it cost you in time, money, and resources?
  • Determine what the worst case scenario is.  If everything went south on the decision, could you live with that?
  • Evaluate what other options you have available?
  • Determine not only if the decision is right, but is the timing right?  The right decision at the wrong time is still the wrong decision.
  • Who will be impacted by your decision?  What will be the risk to those relationships if things go south?

Just remember that hindsight CAN be 20/20, but only if we learn from the past and consider the future.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

Comments are closed.