I read this book from a book club that were fans of Craig Groeschel. This group has read his former books, both “Winning the War in Your Mind” and “The Power of Change." Given one dealt with “the past (repairing the mind)” the other with “focusing on the present (mindset)” – I expected this book to cover the future (planning ahead). I enjoyed how Craig keeps things well organized and to the point (his presentation, the main ideas, the structure, explanations, and the chapter summaries are nice!). He does well keeping straight to the point and avoiding overcomplicating things.
In “Think Ahead,” each chapter focuses on one of seven “pre-decisions” someone can make to live a Christian life. This was not a favorite topic for me but I was curious at first. I would not have been able to make it through this book if it weren’t for wanting to be a part of the book club's weekly discussion. There were points and reasonings shared I didn’t quite resonate or relation. However, this book helped me practice to listen more to others, improve connection with differing views, and communicating better in a group setting.
THE SEVEN PRE-DECISIONS “SELF CONTRACTS” ONE CAN MAKE TO GET MORE IN THE CHRISTIAN FAITH:
I am ready
I am devoted
I am faithful
I am influential
I am generous
I am consistent
(when I commit, I don’t quit) I am a finisher
WHAT I ENJOYED THE MOST FROM EACH SECTION:
INTRODUCTION: THE POWER OF PRE-DECIDING
The quality of our decisions determines the quality of our lives.
The 3 enemies of excellent choices:
1. Overwhelm
2. Fear (Indecision is a decision and often the enemy of progress.)
3. Emotion
In their book Decisive, Chip Heath and Dan Heath show through their extensive research that we are biologically hardwired to act foolishly and behave irrationally. We let emotion overrule logic.
To make excellent choices we need to think ahead, to ask…
“What are the consequences of this choice?”
“What path does this decision put me on?”
C. S. Lewis, a brilliant Christian thinker and author, wrote about this in his book Mere Christianity: “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”
PART 1: PRE-DECIDE TO BE READY
“Move the Line.” Few people plan to wreck their lives. But even fewer people plan not to. Instead of being unwise, unaware, and unalert, we are making up our minds to be ready for the moment of temptation.
We are pre-deciding to move the line (set yourself limits because…)
After I have established a goal and a why … in order to make that a habit, I will need to plan ahead to sacrifice (or cut time) in a different area that does not build into that new priority. (for instance, cutting social media or online shopping).
Two important reminders:
1.) Your willpower will wane and wear out.
2.) Self-control is a limited resource. The more we use, the less we have.
When we pre-decide what’s more important to us and the reason. We can pre-decide to move the line by setting limits on our doom scrolling and limiting our recreational online presence that has no contribution to our mission.
PART 2: PRE-DECIDE TO BE DEVOTED (In my own words…)
Connect with peace and regularly make it a habit to grow in that peace and release control.
PART 3: PRE-DECIDE TO BE FAITHFUL
Top one-word goal people used to describe their life were Successful, Influential, & Happy.
Craig Groeschel said no one-word goal is better than “Faithful”
(how you treat people, how you steward resources, and how you respond to God).
A person who is generous (a faithful steward of their time & money) lives selflessly.
The natural way people think is about themselves.
Pre-decide to value others (show grace, meet needs, forgive, build-up, bless, serve, and speak words of life)
Being "faithful" is to “trust in God more than yourself.”
God wants us to form a strong bond with him through that dependence. But if we play it safe, we don’t really need God.
PART 4: PRE-DECIDE TO BE AN INFLUENCER (In my own words…)
Pre-decide to have compassion for others.
PART 5: PRE-DECIDE TO BE GENEROUS
We are all selfish, but no one thinks they’re selfish. We’re hardwired not to detect selfishness in ourselves
Impulsive behavior or negative emotions can fuel us to consume, but the endorphin rush quickly fades.
Generosity creates a lasting effect that feels good every time you think about it.
PART 6: PRE-DECIDE TO BE CONSISTENT
I am constantly reminded that these areas of mindset, attitude, and decisions are some of our greatest challenges in life and faith.
Consistency is the quality that is most important to the trajectory of the rest of your life, to your spiritual strength, ministry impact, physical health, relational intimacy, work success, and financial potential.
Start with Why …
For instance, I work-out at the gym to stay busy and mindful so I can be present for others. It is important for me to keep a positive mindset. It is important to not ruminate on the past. It is important for me not to worry about the future. It is important for me to be experience successes and never compare myself to anyone. It is important to naturally release dopamine and endorphins in my head that make me happier.
Remember when your willpower wanes or wears out – switch to why-power.
Focusing on results is the downfall of people who want to be consistent - instead we are going to fall in love with the process
PART 7: PRE-DECIDE TO BE A FINISHER
Pre-decided that when I commit, you do not quit.
That decision to persevere is so much bigger than the job or obligation. It was about character. It was about mindset. It was about commitment. In every area of life, be a person who finishes what they start.
Perseverance is the path to greatness.
Grit is a strength of character that refuses to quit.
Grit is perseverance even in the face of adversity.
Angela Duckworth is a brilliant scholar—she went to Harvard and Oxford—and has spent years studying why successful people succeed. She explains that people who are successful set a goal and are willing to give up lesser goals. Every morning, they get up, point themselves in the direction of their goal, and take a step toward it. They don’t hope to accomplish it. They don’t daydream about it. They focus their reality on achieving the goal.
Successful people succeed because of grit.
That’s really good news for you and me. It means…
• it’s okay if you’re not the most talented,
• it’s not a problem if you don’t know the right people,
• it’s not the end of the world if you’re not especially educated.
Grit is what separates average from amazing. So, why do so many give up?
Why People Quit...
a. People quit is because they give themselves the option of quitting.
• To be clear, I’m not saying you should never quit. There are times you should strategically quit something.
• You might want to quit one job to take one with better hours so you can spend more time with your kids.
• You might quit your major in school to pursue something more meaningful to you.
• Perhaps you are in a dead-end dating relationship that is distracting you from pursuing Jesus. You’d probably be wise to quit that relationship and trust God for something better.
• Couples who don’t consider divorce an option fight through the difficulties and figure out how to make their marriages work. Couples who consider it an option are more likely to bail when the difficulties seem unbearable.
b. “Seeing through the Fog” We quit because we can’t see the future.
• We have a goal, but so often it doesn’t seem within reach. But that’s okay b/c:
• We embrace boring. We consider it a win every day we show up.
• We move forward with why-power. Remember, we start with why and keep our why fixed before us. We know what we’re fighting for.
• We know reward is coming. “At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Gal. 6:9 NLT). People who persevere look forward to the rewards of greatness. They see what cannot be seen.
c. People quit because it’s hard.
• It’s always hard, but it’s always hard for everyone. You’re not alone. And those who persevere stop feeling sorry for themselves and learn to embrace the difficulties.
• In his book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, Malcolm Gladwell shares those statistics, and stories of multitudes of people who chose to overcome … Gladwell suggests that those who have overcome disability or disadvantage succeed not in spite of their circumstances but because of them.
You take another step because you are not running for yourself. You’re running for God.
CONCLUSION: PRE-CHOOSE THIS DAY
Kobe Bryant was amazeballs at basketball. Why was Kobe so crazy good? Kobe Bryant said it was the power of pre-decision. … He committed to growing his game, skill by skill, over the long haul. Each year he would pre-decide one improvement to focus on. He emphasized the need to work consistently, being patient as he gradually caught up to and then surpassed the other players. He said his plan looked like this: Monday—get better. Tuesday—get better. Wednesday—get better. Do that over three, four, five, ten years and “you will get where you need to go.” Kobe Bryant said that “the results don’t really matter” because it was all about falling in love with the process.
When asked how he wanted to be remembered, Kobe said, “To think of me as a person that’s overachieved, that would mean a lot to me. I would say pre-decisions made Kobe, Kobe. But Kobe called them “contracts.” Each year he made a contract with himself for what he would do to take his game to the next level.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I could really enjoy the general psychology behind this book. I could relate with the importance of not being selfish, developing why statements to your goals, the importance of consistency and falling in love with the process, and the importance of perseverance and grit. People who are successful don’t hope or daydream about accomplishing it – they make contracts with themselves and commit each day with a strong why to take a step towards it. It was also good to be reminded of the wellness that comes with servitude and humility (mainly, continuing to practice thinking about others). By “pre-deciding” ahead - the typical 35,000 choices you make every day no longer seem overwhelming. By defining a solid “why” you more easily stay on path and maintain consistency. By falling in love with the process you can avoid worrying about the future and each day move ahead.