Yes
and no are definitive words. They can change the trajectory of life.
A
key question is, what do you do when you don't know what to do? How
do you decide when the decision is not clear? That's where
Shinabarger wants to help us, navigating that path to a difficult
decision.
In
the first half of the book Shinabarger shares his own story and the
stories of others. He writes about the philosophical aspects of
decisions, such as love, good works, wisdom, and gaining knowledge.
He explores how to become a problem solver and how to determine our
own decision making style.
He
reveals his six-step process in the second half of the book, again
with lots of stories. While reminding us prayer is a priority, he
advocates considering the options, determining who is affected,
consulting trusted advisers, identifying our fears, having a time of
solitude, and taking a step. When he takes us through this process he
gives plenty of examples (stories) and expands on the philosophy
behind each step.
The
style of Shinabarger's writing is that of a fellow across the coffee
shop table, discussing decision making with you. He'll tell you
stories illustrating aspects of decision making, offer some
philosophy about making decisions, and then tell a few more stories.
The strength of this book is his thoughts on the different aspects of
the philosophy of making decisions. Also good is the section on
decision making styles, something couples or governing bodies would
find helpful.
This
book is full of stories, lots of stories, personal stories, stories
about others. There are few practical considerations of decision
making. I would have rather had fewer stories and more practical
instruction. For example, in his section on fear he writes, “Decision
makers do not fear rejection; we look past the no in search of the
yes.” Unfortunately, there are no practical suggestions as to how
to do that.
In
the “Take Action” section of the chapter on fear, Shinabarger
does suggest finding a person whom you trust, “so he or she can
help you move through that fear the next time it holds you back.”
That would be the way to use this book, by reading it with a trusted
friend or in a trusted group setting. At the end of every chapter he
provides an action step and group discussions.
If
you want to read a book about the various philosophical aspects of
decision making in the context of lots of stories, you'll like this
book. I would have preferred fewer stories and more on decision
making techniques.
Food
for thought: “If you want to contribute something significant in a
broken world, choose to be a decision maker.”
Find
out more about the book at http://www.yesornobook.com/
where you can also take a decision-making style assessment.
Jeff
Shinabarger is the author of one previous book. He leads a community
in Atlanta called Plywood People and has participated in over one
hundred start-ups solving problems through that community. He is the
co-founder of Q and creatively led Catalyst for eight years. He and
his wife live in East Atlanta Village and have two children.
David
C. Cook, 256 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book through Icon Media for
the purpose of an independent and honest review.
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