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3 I The Best Online Education System in the world
LIVING WITH AND BY THE FOUR-WAY TEST
Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
How often have we found ourselves at a crossroads and been at a total loss as to which path to take? You know,
those moments of indecision where thinking about the options alone is painful enough, let alone making a real
choice? It can be a rather losing proposition to make a hasty decision, but one will only stand to lose more if a
decision is not made as soon as possible.
Those who call the shots in their own business companies often have to deal with such situations. They train
themselves to make split-second decisions, and they also work on their decision-making skills after careful
study. Many of them are visionaries, seemingly able to foresee the future and thus capable of making perfect,
worry-free decisions.
For ordinary mortals like us, although the decisions we make are not considered earthshaking like those of say,
presidential magnitude decisions, we still are faced with our own moments of decision-making. Because,
whether we like it or not, we human beings have been gifted with intellect, and with such a gift comes the
decision/s on how to use it.
The moment of decision is the moment of truth. This is why many are so scared of making decisions. We all
subscribe to the saying, “Look before you leap.” We turn things over and over until we get a semblance of order,
not chaos. When we are faced with split-second decision making, we go by the lesser evil. Unfortunately, there
are those who find that when they are constantly hung up with looking first before taking the leap, they never
actually make the jump. Too scared, too inhibited, too careful. When one is thus, he never finds out what could
be on the other side.
However, this doesn’t mean that we should be gung-ho about things all the time. We shouldn’t really be
bullheaded and careless every time. What we need to do is find a balance between our options. Easier said
than done, but others seem to have a certain knack for it, corporate executives most especially.
When making a decision, go by the four-way test of Rotarians: Is it the truth?; Is it fair to all concerned?; Will it
bring goodwill and better friendships?; and, Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
(http://www.thefourwaytest.com/) If one of those questions merits a NO answer, we had better reconsider our
decision.
There are those who might argue that there are many decisions that are necessary to make but which have not
just one but two to four NO answers to them. In such cases, the rebound is probably a long way away, or just
around the corner. The choice is still whether we are ready to accept the outcome or not.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Why do people often find decision-making a great bother?
2. Have you ever been in an indecisive situation? What happened?
3. What will probably make decision-making easier?
4. Is there anyone you admire for being a wise decision maker? Talk about this person in class.
5. Is there anything you currently have to decide on? What are your options? What will your choice probably
be?