It has been said that the greatest room in the world is the room for improvement. For most of us, one area in our lives that can certainly stand some improvement is in the area of making wise judgments.
Judgment may be defined as the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing. Discernment connotes wisdom, so in a sense, judgment and wisdom go hand in hand. To make good judgments requires wisdom.
Why should we learn to make wise judgments? A wise judgment can benefit us personally, for example when we have to make an important decision. It can also benefit others if we are giving them our advice or opinion. Developing this facility can also benefit us professionally. We establish a track record of being someone who can provide a wise counsel. This increases our value in the workplace and can be a springboard for a promotion and better pay.
So how can we develop or improve this important ability? Here are four ways.
Associate with Wise People
Believe it or not, this is a lot easier than you may think. Read about the lives of great men and women, either in books or through the internet. Avail of every opportunity to be in the company of wise and successful people.
Don’t Jump to Conclusions
Jumping to conclusions, making hasty generalizations, giving rash judgment, forming a premature opinion, adopting a judgmental attitude. They may be different terms but they all generally refer to the same thing.
If you are driving a car and someone abruptly cuts in front of you, what would be your initial reaction? Would you get mad and think that he did it on purpose? Or would you give the fellow the benefit of the doubt, trying to give reasons like, maybe he is just a bad driver, or perhaps he is in a hurry due to an emergency?
To avoid the habit of jumping to conclusion, it would be wise to remember the saying: “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” Get the all the necessary facts then make a conclusion, rather than make a conclusion, then gather the facts to support your assumption.
Seek Wise Counsel and Opinion
Making decisions is an unavoidable part of life. Some are easy and some are hard. Decisions like finding a partner, choosing a career, landing a job, accepting a promotion, buying a house, making a career move, etc. Do you seek wise counsel in these situations?
If you are faced with an important decision, remember “Two heads are better than one.”
Seek the advice of the right persons. They should be experienced, cautious, successful and principled. You would not turn to inexperienced, ambitious and foolish young friends. It would be the classic case of the blind leading the blind- with both of them falling into the ditch.
And asking just one or two wise men (or women) is not enough. Take the time to hear many good opinions and weigh them carefully. This will save you from many foolish and painful situations later in life.
The advice of others will give you important insight and guidance to help you arrive at a correct decision.
Realize and Admit that You Don’t Know it All
For as long as we are human, vanity dies hard in all of us and it is very easy to find ourselves making dogmatic statements in areas which are not our expertise. We like to project ourselves as an expert, a “mister know it all “, just because we have a little bit of knowledge about a certain subject.
To cure this malady, remember the adage... “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”
This should caution us to think twice before we speak and make a fool of ourselves later.
If you have to comment on anything, it would be best to tell the truth, that is, to say what you know and qualify it by saying “that is all that I know about the subject.” That way you are able to contribute meaningfully in a conversation.
In conclusion, the ability to make wise judgment is an important area that we need to focus on in our lives. The ability to make wise judgments can benefit us personally and professionally. Our wise judgments can also help others.
Learn the secrets of wise men and women, don’t jump to conclusions, seek advice and counsel and put yourself in the proper place when asked for an opinion.
If you do these things, you will find that your ”judgment batting average” will improve.
Learn to make wise judgments now!
