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Making Wise Decisions

Making Wise Decisions

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woman at desk

Purpose

Throughout your life, you’ll be faced with choices—some minor, others life-changing. Learn how you can use your agency to make wise decisions now and in the future.

Description

Organize a panel to talk about making wise decisions and how they affect a person’s life. Invite a variety of people to be on the panel, such as parents, youth, and leaders.

Before the activity, invite participants to write down the questions they would like the panel to discuss. For example:

  • How did you make some of the important decisions in your life—for example, whom to marry, where to live, what career to pursue, what to study in school, and so forth?

  • What decisions have you made to keep your testimony growing?

  • What are some decisions you are glad you made, and why?

  • Looking back, would you have made any different decisions if given the same choices? Would you change the way you made the decision?

  • What important day-to-day decisions have you made that have helped you be successful?

  • When have you had to decide between two good choices? What did you do?

You might want to give the questions to panel members ahead of time so they can be prepared.

More Ideas

  • Play “Would you rather?”—Before the activity, create a list of questions asking participants to choose between two good options. Here are some examples:

    • Would you rather go to a large university or go to a small local college?

    • Would you rather date someone very similar to you or very different from you?

    • Would you rather eat your favorite meal every day for the rest of your life or never again?

    • Would you rather live in a place that’s hot or cold all the time?

    • Would you rather sing or play an instrument?

      Consider inviting participants to contribute their own “Would you rather?” questions.

      For the activity, read a question and invite participants to walk to one side of the room or the other depending on their decision. Consider asking participants how or why they made their decision.

  • Come prepared with three different activities. Explain your activities to the group, but tell them that you can only play one and that the group may decide. You can also add a treat or other incentives to each activity. (For example: “If you pick option A, you can also have these cookies.”) Make sure the appeal of all options is equal. Encourage them to discuss their options and decide together. Once they’ve decided, ask them to explain their decision, and then enjoy their chosen activity together.

  • What do you do?—Before the activity, prepare several scenarios that require deciding between different choices. For example, “You go to a friend’s house and their parents are not home. The friend pulls out a cigarette and starts smoking, then invites you to smoke too. What do you do?”

    Divide into small groups. Using the outline below, follow the process for making a decision.

    After 10 or 15 minutes, invite each group to share their scenarios, their choices, and how they made their decision.

    1. What information do you need to make your decision?

    2. Who will be affected by the decision?

    3. What are the options?

    4. What are the positive and negative consequences for each option?

    5. What teachings of the Savior can help you make the decision?

  • Team-based decisions—Divide participants into small groups. Set up a scenario where they have to make decisions as a group. For example:

    • Your team was on a plane that just crashed. As a group, choose the 12 most useful items on the plane to survive.

    • Your team must build a protective cover for an egg so it can drop about 8–12 feet (2.5–3.5 meters) without breaking. (Provide raw eggs, several straws, masking tape, newspaper, and any other materials you select for building the cover.)

      At the end of the activity, encourage the groups to share how they made decisions, what went well, and what was challenging.

Discussion

Encourage participants to talk about what they are learning. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity. You could ask questions like the following:

  • Why do you think it is important to make wise decisions?

  • When was a time you made a decision that you regret? When was a time you made a wise decision?

  • What feelings or impressions do you have about making decisions?

  • How can you apply what you are learning in your life?

Related Resources

Sabbath Day Lessons

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