My friend asked me when is the best time to make critical decisions. I’m not sure I have the accurate answer but I know that the best time to make a life impacting decision is not when you are very happy, neither is it when you are very sad. Read that again.
Your happy or sad moments are mood related, influenced by both internal and external factors but moods do change just the same way the clock ticks. Now you know it is unsafe to tie decisions that can take a permanent toll on your life to moods that change with time.
To be alone and to be lonely don’t mean the same thing. You can choose to be alone, not because you have to and it is not necessarily mood dependent. To be lonely is usually the causal effect of an activity or a sequence of activities that have impacted your emotions somehow unpleasantly.
You can be alone, yet in the company of a multitude of beautiful thoughts that keep you nourished, vitalised and ready to fly. You can also be in the marketplace with the loudest noise, yet lonely amidst the busiest crowd. To be lonely is an emotional state that human traffic alone cannot cure.
To be alone is a physical activity that requires you to be secluded from human presence. Solitude best describes it, that state of mind that allows for reflection, self-discovery and mental rejuvenation. Your quiet time allows you to commune with God to hear from Him clearly. Likewise, keeping your own company allows you to hear yourself clearly before you act.
Critical decision making does not dignify you with a wait of when it is most convenient. It could be spontaneous, fearful and it could be painful but remember that some pains birth purpose. Patience is a virtue but beware also of fear that disguises as patience. Sometimes, what you need is courage to confront the fear that holds you down in the name of patience.
Now it sounds like I have an answer for my friend when he asked what time is best to make a critical decision. My friend, the best time to make a life impacting decision is when you can hear clearly from God and from yourself. That time when you are alone but not lonely.
If you are not used to being alone once in a while, you must be missing something. You can take some random decisions even when you are dozing but reserve life impacting decisions till when there are no distractions. Be alone when you need to, so you are not lonely when you don’t have to.
Peace 🕊️
©️ Akin Oluwadare Jnr
13 April 2026
