TRUTH:  Our priorities get neglected when our decisions are made in the moment—without attention to our values.

And in those moments, the real driver often becomes FEAR.

Every moment of every day, we're faced with decisions.

In reality, with both conscious and unconscious mental and emotional cues, we ask ourselves over 58,000 times a day (the number of waking moments we exist each day), "What do I do now?”

* When at work...Should I make a phone call, send the email, plan the day, set up a meeting, go for coffee?
* At home...Should I start the laundry, mow the lawn, unload the dishwasher, help with homework, or play catch with one of the kids?
* On a drive...Should I listen to a podcast, make a call, turn on the radio, or pray in silence?
* At 4:30am...Should I hit the snooze, make the bed, put on running shoes, or turn on the TV?

Decisions. Constant. All day. Seven days a week.

It’s called decision fatigue. And it's exhausting…until you simplify the process.

Years ago, I read Steve Jobs' biography. It explained his mentality behind his morning routine.
He recognized he had only a set amount of decision-making energy each day. He knew the most important decisions would be made at Apple, one of the world’s most influential companies.

So he “saved” his decisions for that time period.

In an effort to conserve energy, he limited his closet to only two items: jeans and black turtleneck sweaters.

He eliminated the question, “What should I wear?” from his entire routine. This left him with more decision-making energy for the decisions that truly mattered.

Within the sheer number of decisions we make every day, we often overlook the importance of each decision.

It seems simple, but wouldn’t you think we would always base our choices on our top priorities?

If we did, we would discover a quality of life grounded only in the things we care most about.

So why don't we do it more often?

* Why doesn’t the average Christian pray regularly?
* Why don’t we order the salad when we know we’re 20 pounds overweight?
* We know the fourth beer will leave us with a hangover—why not stop at one, or none?
* We know driving 70mph in a 55mph zone could cause a ticket or an accident—why not slow down?

It’s strange.

Even as I sit in my office at 5:45pm, continuing to work when I know my family (my priority) expected me home 45 minutes ago.

FEAR or LOVE?

A TRUTH to face:  Our priorities get neglected when our decisions are made in the moment—without attention to our values. And in those moments, the real driver often becomes fear.

Fear makes us chase comfort, urgency, or control.

It tells us, “If I don’t answer this email, I’ll fall behind…and if I fall behind, I’ll lose respect.”  Or, “If I slow down, I’ll miss out, or look like I’m not good enough.”

And so, we keep choosing what feels safe in the short term but steals from what matters most in the long run.

Love, on the other hand, calls us back to our true priorities.

Love says, “Be present with your family… care for your body… honor your calling… trust that God is enough.”

When our choices are rooted in love, even the small decisions begin to stack into a life that reflects who we truly want to be.

The shift, then, is simple but not easy:

Pause and Ask, “Am I choosing from fear, or am I choosing from love?”

That question doesn’t just conserve decision-making energy—it transforms it. It turns choices from draining obligations into intentional acts of alignment: with God, with our priorities, and with the life we were meant to live.

In the end, it’s not the thousands of little decisions that define us.
It’s the people affected by those decisions that matters most.

Remain Encouraged,
Brian