What is the hurry?
Not every decision needs to be made at full speed.
Sometimes the smartest move is:
STOP.
LOOK.
CHOOSE.
What is the hurry about anything you are doing?
Is your life one big game show with a clock ticking down…
giving you only so many seconds to respond before you lose the GRAND PRIZE?
Probably not.
So relax a little.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Slow down long enough to assess what is actually going on.
Become aware.
Listen.
Observe.
Get attuned to the moment.
Then let your judgment go to work.
RELAX A LITTLE BIT…WILL YOU?
Once you slow yourself down, something very useful happens.
You begin to SEE more.
You begin to HEAR more.
And because you are not rushing, you can make a better decision through a better choice.
That alone can reduce a lot of regret.
So here is the system.
Simple.
Practical.
Easy to remember.
STOP.
LOOK.
CHOOSE.
STOP…JUST TIME OUT
First…
STOP.
Do not run.
Do not react.
Do not automatically answer.
Do not assume the first impression is the whole story.
Take in what you are seeing and hearing.
Be clear.
Be comfortable.
Ask questions.
Let the situation sit there for a moment.
I like to say:
let it trickle across your tongue and taste it.
What does this really feel like?
What is actually being said?
What is NOT being said?
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Sometimes the answer starts appearing simply because you stopped long enough to notice it.
TAKE IT IN
Second…
LOOK.
Study what is being offered.
Look at the people.
Look at the circumstances.
Look at the timing.
Look at the risks.
Look at the benefits.
Look at what your experience is telling you.
There is often more going on than whatever was first introduced.
When anxiety goes down…
awareness goes up.
And when awareness goes up…
more information becomes available.
That can change everything.
CHOOSE
Third…
CHOOSE.
Make the decision that makes the most sense to you based on what you now know.
Not because somebody rushed you.
Not because somebody pressured you.
Not because fear grabbed the steering wheel.
YOU choose.
And once you choose…
stand with it.
If you are still not comfortable…
go back.
LOOK AGAIN.
There is no law that says every decision has to be made before you understand what you are deciding.
I’M IN THE GAME
When this system is used correctly, something else begins developing.
CONFIDENCE.
You may not control the outcome.
None of us can guarantee every result.
But you can know:
I stopped.
I looked.
I considered.
I made the best choice I could with the information available.
That matters.
Your BEST was at work.
And what more can anyone honestly offer than their best?
YOU WIN GOING IN
That is why I say you can win going in.
Not because every choice will produce exactly what you hoped for.
But because you entered the decision awake.
Aware.
Present.
Responsible.
That alone puts you in a stronger position.
The opposite is reacting first…
and thinking later.
We all know how that one ends sometimes.
LOL.
THE POWER OF THE PAUSE
The PAUSE FOR CAUSE system creates a small space between what happens…
and what you do about it.
That space is valuable.
Because inside that space live:
judgment,
awareness,
self-control,
reason,
experience,
and choice.
Without that space…
reaction can take over.
With it…
YOU get a turn.
That can improve:
business decisions,
relationships,
conversations,
financial choices,
conflict,
parenting,
and almost anything else involving judgment.
STOP…LOOK…CHOOSE
That is the whole system.
STOP.
Interrupt the automatic reaction.
LOOK.
Gather what is really there.
CHOOSE.
Respond with intention.
Simple?
Yes.
Easy every time?
NO.
That is why it has to be practiced.
A good system becomes more useful the more often you use it.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
Speed is not always progress.
Another:
Do not make a permanent decision because somebody created a temporary sense of urgency.
And one more:
A few seconds of PAUSE FOR CAUSE can save hours, days, or years of regret.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:
“Awareness begins when reaction is given enough room to become choice.”
From the spirit of God I AM:
“What is within you can guide what is before you when you become still enough to hear it.”
From the spirit of It Is Finished:
“Do not carry the consequences of a rushed decision when one moment of clarity could have changed the direction.”
PEARLS INSIGHT
The STOP…LOOK…CHOOSE method is a simple decision-making discipline.
Its value comes from interrupting automatic reaction.
Stopping creates space.
Looking improves awareness.
Choosing restores intentional action.
The process does not guarantee perfect outcomes.
It improves the quality of the thinking that produces the outcome.
And over time, that can produce better judgment, fewer impulsive choices, and greater confidence in the way you handle life.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with TRYING TO FORCE A DECISION.
When we push ourselves to decide before we are ready, analysis and pressure can work against us.
It also connects with WHAT DOES NO REALLY MEAN?
Listening carefully before reacting often changes what we think we heard.
And THE POWER OF REASON reminds us that good judgment requires time enough for fairness, facts, and proportion to enter the room.
FINAL SAY
What is the hurry?
STOP.
LOOK.
CHOOSE.
That little sequence can become one of the most useful tools you carry.
Use it before answering.
Use it before signing.
Use it before arguing.
Use it before buying.
Use it before walking away.
Use it before making the decision you may have to live with tomorrow.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Take it in.
Look again.
Then choose.
You may not win every outcome…
but you dramatically improve your chances of not defeating yourself before the game even begins.
STOP.
LOOK.
CHOOSE.
And there is less risk of a LOSE…
when you do.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you