How to make good decisions
Brian Grogan SJ’s latest book, Making Good Decisions – A Beginners Guide, is a fresh, dynamic and interactive approach to good decision-making. It is a helpful guide for individuals and groups trying to make wise choices, and for believers and non-believers alike. The book is novel among the literature on decision-making. It is interactive, engaging readers by inviting them to note their own comments in the book before reading the author’s insights on any particular issue. The author says it’s a fresh and dynamic approach where theory is illustrated with case studies, stories and real-life experiences, including his own. Listen above to his interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications.
The book is aimed at anyone (Christian or other) interested in making wise choices, be they individuals or part of a group or community. The dynamics of decision-making are clearly presented, but they are enriched by being set in the context of authenticity as well as as Christian living. According to Brian Grogan: “The content covers a wider ground than is usually considered in books on decision-making because it shows that every decision we make, whether big or small, has its own importance and is to be respected rather than take for granted.”
The author explores how an individual can influence even an uncompromising group so that it makes better decisions. And he challenges the reader to engage in the decisions made in the public square. He says that, since decision-making is multi-faceted, a different lens is offered to the reader. Through it they can view particular dilemmas or choices, thereby enriching their grasp of the intricacy of the decision-making process. Discernment – the art of Christian decision making – becomes no longer just an occasional event, he says, “but the radical stance of your heart as open to God”. So for believers the book can be used for prayer, with the author noting, “It would make a challenging companion on a retreat”.
Making Good Decisions by Brian Grogan SJ is published by Veritas and costs €14.99.