Part 3 in a 3-part series on discernment: The Discernment Chart

A Discernment Chart is a graphical way to sketch out where we are with a decision we have to make. The chart can help in seeing where we are drawn, what direction seems most fulfilling, and what steps we need to take. In the article 4 Steps for Discernment and Decision-Making, Sister Mary McDevitt, IHM, noted in Step 2 that you can create a kind of chart to help you figure out how you feel about a decision that you have to make.

Here is an example of what that chart might look like for the discernment question example, Should I go to graduate school or not?

Discernment Chart

The pros and cons don’t have to seem like significant reasons, they just have to be important to us. You might like the school colors better than another school! Now that shouldn't be your only reason, but if that desire symbolizes the fact that you can envision yourself at that school, then by all means, put it on the chart!

Try making a chart for yourself. Consider something in your life that requires you to make a decision. It might be big, it might be small. Try it out and be attentive to the guidance that Sister Mary gives on discernment.

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