What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

I recently received a question from a sweet reader on a previous post I had written, How To Use the Correct GPS–God Positioning System. This person felt like they might be on the wrong track and may have made a wrong decision about attending a design school. They were starting to doubt their original decision to attend. The essence of this reader’s question was basically, “What do you do when you don’t know what to do?”

I think that many people could relate to this question. So today I wanted to share my advice to this reader for when you don’t know what to do, in hopes that it may help others too. There are 3 simple steps that I find helpful in any decision-making process, large or small. I’ll jump right into your practical steps…

Take Some Practical Steps When You Don’t Know What To Do:

• Step 1: Seek God

I think when you start to doubt and you don’t know what to do, the best thing you can do is seek God for direction. Pray and ask Him what you are supposed to do. Then listen and look for ways that He talks to you. One of the best ways He speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible. Regular quiet times in prayer and reading the Bible should start to give you a sense of direction.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

• Step 2: Seek advice from others

When you don’t know what to do, it’s also a good idea to seek advice. The bible teaches us that there is wisdom in the counsel of many. This just means that it’s a good idea to get advice from a few trusted, wise people (people that you KNOW won’t lead you down the wrong path).

“Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” Proverbs 15:22

• Step 3: Follow peace

God is not the author of confusion. As a result, He will never try to confuse you. He wants you to be at peace.

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33

Therefore it’s always wise to follow peace. If you feel “red flags” or “checks” about a decision, then that might be an indicator that it may not be the best decision. I’ve also always been taught that in really big, tough decisions when you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything immediately. Never make rash decisions. 

I was torn about a recent decision

To give you a recent example of when I used these three steps, I’ll share about a decision I had to make back in August. The decision should have been simple, but it was extremely difficult for me for some reason.

My coordinator offered me an additional class to teach this semester. They had to add some extra sections of the class I was teaching, and there was a shortage of experienced, available professors. She really needed the help. On the surface it seemed like a win-win. I could help out in a time of need and earn some extra money at the same time.

However, I was just torn up about the decision…to the point of tears. I’m not kidding! There were some major pros to teaching an additional class (helping my boss out, earning extra money, making a difference in more students’ lives, etc.). On the flip side though, there were some cons to consider. It would require teaching five days a week instead of three. This would also mean more drive time. In turn, this meant more gas expenses which would significantly limit the amount of “extra money” I would earn. It also meant more grading and more stress on top of all of my other responsibilities outside of teaching.

How I decided what to do

I hadn’t been this uncertain about a decision in a long time. Consequently, I decided to seek help. I prayed first and asked God to give me guidance and help me decide what to do. To be honest, I didn’t get a clear sense of direction at first. On to the next step then.

Next, I sought advice from a few people. I talked to Eric first, then my sister, and then a friend at work. Finally, I asked another friend to pray for me because I was having to make a tough decision. All of them were extremely helpful in offering words of wisdom and encouragement. Unfortunately I was still very torn.

Ultimately, following peace is what helped me decide. I seriously had a sick-at-my-stomach feeling that wouldn’t stop. I was crying because I didn’t want to let my boss down—unfortunately, people-pleasing can be one of my weaknesses. Every time I thought about accepting the extra class though I felt tormented. That’s not God, and I knew it. “Follow Peace” came to mind.

The outcome

Difficult as it was, I turned the class down. Guess what. A weight lifted (huge sigh of relief). I still felt pretty awful about saying no to my boss in a time of need. Overall, though I knew I had made the right decision.

In hindsight, it worked out exactly as it should have. This particular semester, an extra class probably would have been more than I could have handled (and still maintained my sanity!). This particular semester has been a bit peculiar with the amount of extra time and effort that I’m having to pour into my current students. I’ve also realized that my other responsibilities would have probably suffered as well.

As for the pros… My coordinator found new instructors. Our finances haven’t suffered a bit. And as far as making a difference in students’ lives, I think I’ve got quite enough on my plate with my current classes (but those stories are for another time)! I know I’m making a bigger impact than I could have if I had taken on even more students.  Plus I got some good practice in overcoming people-pleasing and setting boundaries.

Your turn!

Now it’s your turn. Hopefully these three simple steps will help you when you don’t know what to do. Obviously, there is a lot more helpful advice I could give when it comes decision-making, but these basic steps are a good start!

What are some things you do when you don’t know what to do? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

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If you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward!  Share this post via the sharing links below.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)