by Dr. D Ivan Young, ICF Master Certified Coach

There’s no guaranteed key to success in life, but you can’t afford to ignore the importance of wisdom.

You’ve probably heard that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”.

I’ll revise that to say the road to hell is paved with no intentions.

When you reflect on the most notable events and relationships in your life, you may realize that the end results rarely match your original plan. While this isn’t always a bad thing, sometimes it can take you places you never intended to go.

Usually, your negative experiences are the result of not being intentional, solely relying on characteristics like your charm and your natural abilities, and not leading with wisdom.

What do I mean by wisdom?

Having wisdom means having the ability to make decisions that are beneficial in the long run, regardless of your feelings or self-serving interests. Wise decisions are rooted in a strong moral foundation.

Most mature people tend to do the right thing but for the wrong reasons. This is something that’ll affect your outcomes in life more than anything else.

When working with my clients, I help them identify and clarify their goals, as well as their “why”.

It can be easy to lose sight of the reasons for your goals, which can result in achieving them but feeling unfulfilled and lost. The other possibility is you won’t achieve your goals and you’ll feel discontented and hopeless.

Once you truly understand the importance of wisdom and strive to cultivate it, you’re more likely to see a connection between your goals and the end result.

What Does Wisdom Require?

You might think that wisdom and intelligence are interchangeable. While wisdom is associated with intelligence, there’s more to it than just being smart.

The definition of wisdom varies depending on who you ask. One survey involving thirty experts revealed a general consensus that wisdom and spirituality have more overlapping characteristics than wisdom and intelligence¹.

In this case, it’s important to differentiate between spirituality and religion.

Spirituality is more about building a system of values and principles based on traits such as compassion, humility, gratitude, and altruism, rather than adhering to a particular religious faith.

Experts and non-experts agree that wisdom requires basic intelligence, but spiritual qualities are absolutely essential. In my opinion, integrity is the foundation of these qualities.

Therefore, wisdom doesn’t rely solely on intelligence, but the ability to pursue, gain, and use knowledge to understand life and the people around us.

The way you lead your life is directly related to your level of wisdom.

Now that we’ve defined wisdom, let’s discuss the importance of wisdom in life. I know, it’s a big task.

The Importance of Wisdom in Life

Since wisdom can help us better understand life and how our actions contribute to our own life and the lives of others, it shouldn’t be surprising that wisdom is linked with better physical health³.

Wisdom can also have a huge impact on your mental health.

The importance of wisdom in life is observable in several different aspects of our lives. Let’s use the traits we discussed above.

When you utilize compassion and altruism in your life, you:

Connect more with others, leading to the formation of genuine relationships.
Make choices that benefit others and yourself, contributing to the betterment of your community.
Find fulfillment from serving others.
Learn to love others without it being at your expense.

And then there’s humility and gratitude, which lead to:

Relationships in which love and respect are reciprocated.
Building resilience to help you meet your personal and professional goals.
Determining what’s important to you.
Enjoying the process and not just the end result.

Wisdom ultimately contributes to your overall health and wellbeing by aiding your growth and development.

You must cultivate wisdom to become who you want to be for yourself, your relationships, and your success.

The Importance of Wisdom in Decision-Making

Certain choices might impact you more than anyone else, while other decisions have a ripple effect on several people in your life.

Making decisions is a complex process.

It’s essential to understand that when it comes to critical decisions, it’s unlikely that everyone will be satisfied. Not everyone is willing to embrace wisdom, especially those who are self-centered, immature, or foolish.

Such individuals may struggle to see the bigger picture, hindering them from appreciating the benefits of a wise decision.

Therefore, it’s crucial to be assertive and confident in your decision-making, even if it means not pleasing everyone around you.

When you’re faced with a decision, big or small, the outcome will likely be much better if you reflect on the importance of wisdom and figure out how you can apply it to your situation.

Accepting the importance of wisdom is crucial if you want to meet your goals and not lose sight of what’s important.

So when you have to make a decision, ask yourself: is this choice going to compromise what I believe and value? If the answer is yes, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. It’s ok to make adjustments.

Wisdom isn’t about never making the wrong decision.

It’s about learning from your mistakes and successes so you can make better decisions in the future that benefit you and your goals.

Will you still make mistakes?

Absolutely.

What Does it Look like When You Doubt the Importance of Wisdom?

When you ignore the importance of wisdom in your life, you’re not doing yourself or anyone else a favor.

If you don’t make a conscious effort to be wiser, you’re:

Leaving your success up to chance.
Risking your relationships.
Leading yourself to discontent.
Unlikely to determine your purpose in life.
Accepting mediocrity as a default outcome.

Success, love, happiness. These things all require learning from your mistakes and doing your best to become a better version of yourself.

Some examples of neglecting wisdom in your life could be wanting to have a baby, but overlooking your current financial situation. Or maybe your household is unstable.

This can be detrimental for your relationship and your child’s wellbeing.

This also applies if your “baby” is your idea for a business.

Maybe you want to get married, but you haven’t dealt with the emotional baggage or trauma from previous relationships and events in your life. It’s equally unwise to stay in a dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship just to maintain the status quo or for the sake of your children.

These decisions are often made from a place of fear or desire. And while life is short, and you should do what makes you happy, wisdom should have a place in your decision-making.

True wisdom demands courage.

You must be willing to let go of the familiar and embrace the unknown, which may hold greater possibilities for you.

So don’t doubt the importance of wisdom.

It can be what you need to turn your life around.

Advice from an ICF Master Certified Coach on How to Cultivate Wisdom

Expert psychologists formed a model on the development of wisdom based on prior research and theories.

The four factors that contribute to wisdom include²:

A sense of mastery.
Openness.
Reflectivity.
Emotion Regulation and Empathy.

While wisdom is typically associated with life experience, you don’t have to go through the same thing as someone else to be understanding. It’s also essential to note that wisdom can develop from positive experiences and not just negative events.

Emotion regulation and empathy fill in the gaps in experience and knowledge.

You can be wise without having a lot of life experience.

However, wisdom is often strengthened through mastery and experience. This leads me into my advice for recognizing the importance of wisdom in life and cultivating it.

Regularly practice self-reflection when you’re faced with difficult decisions.
Determine where your gut instinct is leading you and the motivation behind it.
Analyze how your actions and reactions will make you, and those involved, feel.
Think of the short term and long term implications of your decisions.
Make sure your choices align with your values and goals. They should also support your well-being.

If you can follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to success and happiness.

The importance of wisdom is that it can improve your life, as well as the lives of those around you. You have everything you need within you, but you have to be intentional.

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Bio – Dr. D Ivan Young is an expert on human behavior and relationships. He’s a Master Credentialed expert on personality type, an ICF credentialed Master Certified Coach, a Certified Professional Diversity Coach, and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. Dr. Young is also a member of the prestigious Forbes Coaches Council.