Get the Facts Before You Act

This may seem like obvious advice, but sometimes I think we really forget to adhere to it. As humans we are all too often impulsive and we sometimes act before we think. What is this advice? Make sure to get all the facts (or at least what you can) before you act. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes those automatic emotional reactions are correct, but a lot of times they get us in trouble.

Like I said before, this seems like obvious advice, so why so often do we not follow it? Here are a few reasons that I see:

1. We trust our own judgment and we all like to be right. This isn’t necessarily the wrong thing, but it is amazing what getting all the facts can do to change our initial judgment sometimes.
2. We are lazy. We like things to be done and over with. Yes, gathering facts can be tedious and time consuming, but think of the regret it may save you in the end. I read a quote yesterday that said, if you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, when will you have time to fix it? Those are wise words.
3. We are afraid. Sometimes getting all the facts can be scary. We may not want to deal with what we find. As scary as it may be, it’s always better to know what you’re dealing with when you can. Remember, though, that sometimes we find out it wasn’t so bad after all or we were afraid for no reason.
4. We are emotional creatures so obviously we like to respond with emotion rather than logic. Now I’m not proposing we should all be like Vulcans, but honestly it wouldn’t hurt to use a little more logic when making decisions or responding to a problem.

So remember, get the facts before you act!

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