Yes or No: How Your Everyday Decisions Will Forever Shape Your Life

by Jeff Shinabarger

As you face daily choices that require yes or no decisions, there are times when you feel paralyzed—either from fear of making the wrong choice or because of too many seemingly equal options. Social entrepreneur Jeff Shinabarger helps you break through these moments of tension and transition with proven ways to move toward good choices.

Discover opportunities to become a decision maker as you gain strength in saying no, develop your personal philosophy of choice, and start using a practical process for making good choices even in difficult situations.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Self Help, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Christian

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Jeff Shinabarger is a bestselling author and founder of Plywood People, a non-profit in Atlanta leading a community of start-ups doing good. His work has been featured by Forbes, Inc., CNN, USA Weekend and Huffington Post. He is the co-founder of Q, mentored over 600 start-ups and created the largest social entrepreneur event in the South called Plywood Presents.

Reviews

[Juanita · Rating 2 out of 5]

If by any chance you are contemplating reading this book and hoping for a helpful framework on making everyday decisions there are likely more helpful books out there. This books seems primarily geared towards trying to convince the reader that they can and should choose to become a problem solver/decision maker for their organization. The author shares a lot of stories from his personal life combined with an inspirational pep talk .It wasn't even a bad book per se. My rating was based primarily on the mismatch between what the book was actually about and what i expected based on the description. This book might be useful for someone who is contemplating stepping into a leadership role at an organization,but feels unqualified or unsure.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes or No was just an okay read. It took me forever to finally finish and I think that's because I just didn't find the book that interesting. It wasn't the writing, because I actually thought it was written well.

All in all, an okay read.

[Leslie Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple but yet profound book written for and about our decision making in our daily life.
We're reminded that with all the (modern) technology device, sooner and inevitably we can lose the art of making decisions on our own and listening for direction from something greater than technology.

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good advise. How the content is layout do not suit my style of reading.

[Sarah Gump · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire book can be summed up in a quote from my grandmother‘s best friend: “Life is choices. Choose wisely.”

[Belinda Weinbrecht]

ok

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where we are faced with decisions that need to be made daily it sometimes appears that we can get stuck in the mud of indecision. Now, the simple decisions are fine, such as Chocolate or Vanilla? Coke or Pepsi? A hamburger or soup? Those are the decisions that we don't usually flinch at.

But I counsel lots of people who have difficulty making decisions regarding larger issues. Such as, should I buy this house or not? Should I drive a 10 year old car or get a new one? Should I stay at this job or take a different one that appears to have more potential?

Or maybe you are college student and you have to decide which major you want to pursue. Believe it or not the average College Student changes major's four times. Why do they do that? Mainly because they haven't learned how to make a decision.

Jeff Shinabarger is giving us basic down-home common sense principles about how to make a decision. His chapters are well articulated and well thought out. He has also put them in good order. Three of my favorite chapters were;
1. THIS OR THAT: What do you Do When you Don't Know What to Do?
5. Problem Solvers; what will you be known for?
6. Decision making styles; how do you naturally make choices?
9. Welcome to the Table; invite others to advise you
11. The Quiet in the Storm; Make time for solitude

The principles that he will lay out for you are solid and useful and should be taken to heart and put into action. Jeff also provides a chapter on His Story so that you know what brought him to the point of writing this book.

You will find that his writing is from his experience and from his observations of life and people. He hits the nail on the head and gives you great confidence to be able to make decisions.

Read, Think, Ponder, Enjoy!

[Jeff Bobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think about it every moment of every day is filled with yes or no decisions we have to make. The do shape our life, not just for the moment, the day but for our lifetime. It is the multitude of decisions we make each day that mold our future.

Starting with a discussion of moments of tension and transition times he outlines how our moment by moment decisions impact our lives. Our decision don’t only impact us but almost always there are many others that are effected by what we decide.

We must learn to say no. In fact every time we say yes we are also choosing to say no to many other things that we cannot do at the same time.

He challenges us to allow our love to shape our choices so that we can say yes to those things we are passionate about and invest in them. Where you invest your time and money will show you what you really love. True love is never driven by cost.

Wisdom is not something that comes easily and must be pursued in order to be gained. He says, “The key is not to be defined by the past but to be formed by it. Take the knowledge you have learned and use it to shape who you are becoming.” We then have a responsibility to share with others what we have learned. As we develop our knowledge and wisdom we have the opportunity to become better problem solvers.

We will make wrong choices. It is what we learn from them that is the key to our future. The fear of making a decision is often what holds us back from being all God calls us to be.

Remember today’s decisions that may seem so difficult, are preparing us for the decision we will be making down the road in life.

This book will provoke thinking in anyone that takes the time to read it.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever wonder, “How am I ever going to make this decision?” than you might find Yes or No a help. The author, Jeff Shinabarger, writes about how our everyday decisions effect our lives and how we can better make these decision. Mr. Shinabarger will take you through the choices you have, how to factor in your wisdom, decision-making styles, and the decision-making process. He also writes about how to make decisions not just for ourselves but also those situations where our loves one should also be considered.


I found this book interesting. I thought it was refreshing to read a new perspective on decision-making that not only considers the individual making the decision but also that draws attention to family involvement. I also felt that the author sharing his own story was a great example and truly felt like a conversation from an individual who knows how difficult the process can be. I found Mr. Shinabarger’s advice to read the book of Proverbs every day for wisdom is very helpful.

Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone looking for a new perspective on the decision-making process. Making decisions can be difficulty at times; a different perspective may support your journey to making them in the future.

Happy Reading!

Note: I have received an ebook copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of stories. In the first half of the book, Shinabarger tells his own story and then explores several philosophical aspects of decision making, all in the context of telling more stories. In the latter half of the book he reveals a six-step process for decision making, again in the context of many stories. I felt practical instruction was lacking. The strength of this book is the philosophical look at decision making. That is something a governing board would find helpful for discussion. And Shinabarger has included questions at the end of each chapter for discussion.
See my full review at http://bit.ly/1nVfbV1.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Icon Media for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

[Chantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Shinabarger is a mentor of mine, so it was a pleasure to read a book filled with all the nuggets of wisdom he so graciously shares through his organization, Plywood People. Plywood People equips entrepreneurs with the tools they need to make their dreams come true. In this book, he addresses decision making, which has the potential to be either empowering or paralyzing, depending on whether the decision is a good one or a bad one. This book will help you pay attention to the tensions that keep you up at night. I suggest reading it with a group. Every chapter includes a challenge for action as well as questions for discussion.

[Jonathan Crabb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff is one of the several exciting voices in a community of people who aren't just talking about good things, but putting them into practice. This book goes far in moving the reader to consider large, get unstuck and practically take some first steps.

I look forward to reading more of Jeff's work and following his efforts in Atlanta with Plywood People.