Your regrets are only part of your story. They don’t have to be the story. Your past should remind you. It doesn’t have to define you.
In Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets: 5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move, author and pastor Andy Stanley describes five game-changing questions to ask every time you make a decision—questions that will help you in your finances, relationships, career, and more. Stanley argues that well-timed and appropriate thought provoking questions lead to better decisions and fewer regrets.
Developing the discipline to pause and ask these five questions will result in better decisions and fewer regrets.
1. The Integrity Question
Am I being honest with myself, really?
Decision #1: I will not lie to myself even the truth makes me feel bad about myself.
2. The Legacy Question
What story do I want to tell?
Decision #2: I will write a story I’m proud to tell one decision at a time.
3. The Conscience Question
Is there a tension that needs my attention?
Decision #3: I will explore rather than ignore my conscience.
4. The Maturity Question
What is the wise thing to do?
Decision #4: I will take the past, present, and future into consideration
5. The Relationship Question
What does love require of me?
Decision #5: I will decide with the interests of others in mind.
Good questions lead to better decisions. And better decisions lead to fewer regrets.
Your decisions determine the direction and quality of your life. And while nobody plans to complicate their life with bad decisions, far too many people have no plan to make good decisions.