We are faced with a never-ending stream of decisions from the moment we wake up in the morning. Some sources suggest that the average person makes almost 35,000 decisions per day. Factoring in around seven hours of sleep each night, this breaks down to roughly 2,000 decisions per hour or one decision every two seconds.

If you’re wondering how that’s possible, many of the choices we make are quick judgements that aren’t necessarily a thoughtful effort, like your decision to carry on reading this blog post after the first few sentences. According to Prince Ghuman, professor of neuromarketing, “When it comes to making decisions, our brain functions in two modes. One mode is largely automatic, it makes reactive decisions based on intuition. The second mode is deliberate, it makes rational, analytical decisions.”

When it comes to the second mode of decision-making, the book Ask It: The Question That Will Revolutionize How You Make Decisions by Andy Stanley comes highly recommended by Southern First Client Experience Officer Jeremy Heaton.

Stanley introduces one question that he states, “makes it easy to determine the answer to all other questions.” He says, “This single question serves as a lens through which you can evaluate all of your options. It will provide you with a new perspective on your love life, your career, your finances, your schedule – everything.”

That question is:
What is the wise thing for me to do, in light of my past experience, my present circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams?

According to Jeremy, “I first read this book years ago not thinking it would truly change the way I look at decisions. Life happens, and you move on and forget things you learned in your youth. I made a personal decision for growth and decided to reread Ask It. Andy starts the book with the one question that will ease your mind from asking additional questions, second guessing your decisions, and hopefully keep you from overanalyzing. Now established and in the midst of my career, the question has radically changed the way I look at every situation whether it be with work, coworkers/employees, in my personal life with relationships, or life in general.” 

If you’re curious what impact this question could have as part of your decision-making process, consider adding it to your summer reading list. Tell us in the comments: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received when making a big decision?

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