No. 227 - DO YOU HAVE GOOD JUDGMENT?

No. 227

Jim Davidson...NEWSPAPER COLUMN

DO YOU HAVE GOOD JUDGMENT?

In relation to judgment, the Quaker, William Penn once said, Knowledge is the treasure, but judgment the treasurer of the wise man. He that has more knowledge than judgment is made for another mans use more than his own. If you will reread what you have just read and ponder it, I think you will find the basis for a lot of self-improvement. In todays times, we all need that more than ever. With technology moving at the present rate, I shudder to think about what its going to be like ten years from now.

On the front end, we need to understand that I am not talking about judging another individuals soul,(only God can do that) or judging his reputation or judging his value as a person. No, Im talking about the judgment we as individuals exercise in conducting our day to day affairs which ultimately determine our success or failure as a person. I see people in deep trouble everyday, and you do too, who are there because they failed to exercise good judgment.

At this point, I would like to ask you a somewhat personal question. Do you have good judgment? In other words, do you use your wisdom, experience, education and your basic senses, to make wise choices and decisions most of the time? You will have to be your own judge in this case but if you would like to have an accurate barometer of how well you have been doing, just look at where you are. If you are married, do you have a happy home? If you work, are you one of the most valued employees of your company or organization? Are you a trusted and valued member of your community? Do other people depend on you as someone who can get the job done?

You could extend this to many different areas of your life but as a general rule if you have things under control and have a bright future, I can promise you this was brought about because you have good judgment. In my column I do my best to offer encouragement to anyone who needs it and to present time tested principles that will help any of us to achieve personal success. Success is a relative term, but for whatever it means to each individual, we should have a goal to be a happy productive member of society.

When it comes to good judgment, many people, for various reasons, do not seem to be able to get on track and as a result go through many painful experiences. I got a letter from a young man a few days ago who fit this category. He said, Im writing to you because of an article that I read in the local paper. It had to do with Natural Laws and without going into too much detail about my personal life, Im trying to do as much research and obtain as much counseling as I can to put my life back on track. Ive had two failed marriages and my professional career has not turned out like I would have wanted it to. What keeps me going some days are my faith in God and a belief of something more fulfilling in my life.

Im thirty five years old and I feel like the time has come to gain as much knowledge and counsel as possible to make sound decisions. I know there is no one piece of information that can make me a better person, but after wandering around for the past few years I think the more questions I ask and the more information I can gain will help me.

My friend, here is a classic case where a young man has not exercised good judgment. He is searching for answers and since he is now looking, the chances are good that he will find them. My prayer is that he will. We all need help in some area of our life. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)