Are You Impulsive?

Do you speak before you think?

Do you purchase things you can’t afford, don’t need, or may not even like once you get them home?

Do you get caught up in the moment and volunteer without checking your calendar to see if you have the time?

This morning I managed to rouse myself out of bed earlier enough to get on the treadmill before work. I put on the headphones and turned on the small TV attached to the wall in front of me.

I enjoy watching Joyce Meyers, Christian author and speaker. She has a way of talking straight and laying things out on the table, but with humor laced throughout, her message is also entertaining.

This week she’s speaking on emotions and how we can either control them or allow them to control us. Today’s message focused on impulsiveness and the connection to our emotions.

Hmmmm…am I impulsive?

There have been times in my life when I’ve volunteered to help someone, a group, or an organization when clearly my schedule was already overloaded. Not that activities, projects, or experiences with people are bad. I just said yes to so many things that I became drained. And when you become exhausted you become ineffective.

Why did I say yes without thinking it through?

Was it because I wanted to please people?
Make a good impression?
Did I think no one else could do it as well as I could?
Was I afraid of letting someone down or hurting their feelings?
Did I need to prove something to them or myself?

At various times…any or all of the above.

I’ve gotten much better at saying no the last few years. Maybe it comes with figuring out that it’s okay to have priorities…and it’s okay to stick to those priorities without taking on more. Maybe it’s realizing that people will still like me…even if I occasionally say no to them.

We can be so quick to say things without thinking.
We can be so quick to make decisions that we end up making bad choices.

But, if we just slow down for a minute and take the time to ask God’s direction, we may find that it makes life easier.

I still need to work on that…
Waiting to move until He tells me which way to go.
If I can be patient and wait a minute, He’ll tell me…

Learning to wait before acting,
Dawn