Character Development: Good Judgement And Affirmations
In this episode of the Character Strengths Affirmation Series, we explore the strength of Good Judgment, which falls under the virtue of Wisdom. Good Judgment is the art of discerning what is true, balanced, and beneficial—rooted in the ability to see clearly, weigh perspectives, and choose with intention. My hope is that this episode invites you to honor judgment not as criticism, but as a deep and steady guidance system that helps you navigate life with clarity and integrity. Through discussion and affirmations, we will strengthen our capacity to pause, reflect, and act in alignment with our highest values, making choices that serve both our well-being and the greater good. Peace and Blessings, Hannah
Transcript
In a world that often focuses so much on what we lack,
It's easy to overlook the incredible internal strengths that each of us possess.
Grounded in ancient philosophy and modern science,
This series invites you to reconnect with the innate strengths that make you who you are,
Promoting balance and harmony in everyday life.
Whether you're looking to boost your confidence,
Overcome negative self-talk,
Deepen your relationships,
Or simply invite a greater sense of well-being,
My hope is that this series offers a practical and uplifting path to personal growth.
Alright,
Hello sweet people,
And welcome to our Character Strengths Affirmation Series.
Each session we explore one of the 24 character strengths identified by positive psychology,
All of which fall under the virtues of courage,
Humanity,
Wisdom,
Justice,
Temperance,
And transcendence.
These strengths and virtues are universal,
And they form the foundation of our highest selves.
We are currently journeying through the virtue of wisdom,
Which the VIA Institute describes as the strengths that help us gather and use knowledge in meaningful,
Life-giving ways.
So far,
We've explored creativity,
And today we are going to turn our attention to good judgment,
Or judgment,
Which is also sometimes called critical thinking or discernment.
Okay,
So judgment gets a bad rap.
If you've listened to my meditations,
If you've taken class with me,
You might note that I often characterize mindfulness in part as occupying a non-judgmental mentality.
So right off the bat,
The question becomes,
So Hannah,
Are we judging?
Are we not judging?
Do we want to be good judgers?
Do we want to not be judgers?
What's up with judgment?
Here's how I see it.
In mindfulness,
Non-judgment means we notice without labeling.
We allow our experiences,
Be them emotional or physical or mental or spiritual,
To arise without immediately deeming them good or bad or labeling them in any way.
It's just about presence and about becoming like a window through which experience pours through.
Good judgment,
On the other hand,
Is a character strength,
And it's different.
It's the ability to think things through carefully,
To examine all sides of a situation,
To pause before reacting,
To change our minds in light of new evidence,
To make deliberate values-aligned decisions in a very noisy world that will try to pull you in a million different directions and capitalize off of your emotions.
It's the ability to figure out what it is that you really believe.
The VIA Institute defines judgment as thinking things through and examining them from all sides,
Not jumping to conclusions,
Being able to change one's mind in light of evidence,
And weighing all the evidence fairly.
And I love that because that kind of judgment is rooted not in rigidity but in discernment.
In a world overflowing with information and misinformation and disinformation and all the types of information,
We are constantly absorbing messages about who we should be,
About what we should believe,
And how we should live.
From social media to marketing to political polarization,
It's really easy to fall into a sort of confirmation bias,
Or confirmation bias is the tendency to seek out or interpret information in ways that affirm what we already believe.
There's also groupthink,
Which is where we have a tendency to believe what those around us believe.
There's also status quo bias,
Which is where we have a tendency to just kind of go with what's already happening because it's easier to maintain the status quo than to change something and to question it.
So,
Sound judgment,
Good judgment,
Interrupts those reflexes.
It helps us slow down and zoom out and say,
What's actually true for me here?
What evidence am I seeing?
What evidence am I not seeing?
What assumptions am I making?
What emotions are coming up for me in light of this information?
This strength protects us from impulsivity and decision fatigue.
It empowers us to navigate conflict with clarity.
And I think for me,
One of the most important things about the character strength of judgment is that it's allowed for me to build a lot more self-trust.
Because the more I practice discernment,
The more I've been able to realize that I can make wise decisions,
Even in the face of uncertainty.
I found that the most grounded people aren't the ones who always know what the right thing to do is right away,
But the ones who have learned how to do that pausing.
The ones who have figured out how to ask good questions,
Who listen,
Who reflect,
Who are willing to change their minds when there's an opportunity for growth.
Now,
Just like all the other character strengths,
Good judgment thrives in balance.
It isn't always about having the right answer.
It's about learning to think clearly and pause wisely and allow our decisions with both our heart and our head.
Judgment,
When underused,
Can show up as passivity or indecision or a tendency to default to others' opinions.
We might avoid responsibility or fear making mistakes,
Thinking it's safer not to choose at all.
For some of us,
This may come from early experiences where our choices weren't respected or where mistakes were punished.
Over time,
That can lead to second-guessing ourselves or feeling like we can't trust our own inner compass.
This is where that self-trust becomes really sacred.
When we practice good judgment,
We're not saying,
I always know what to do,
I'm the smartest in the room,
I have all the answers.
I certainly do not have all the answers,
You guys.
Please do not get that twisted.
I definitely don't,
And you don't have to either.
It's about being able to say,
I know how to listen.
I know how to listen even to people I don't agree with.
I know how to weigh options and choose with care.
The more we do that,
The more we are able to rebuild our sense of inner authority.
We remember that clarity often comes through the process,
Not before it.
On the other end of the spectrum,
When good judgment is overused,
It can morph into rigidity or cynicism or analysis paralysis.
We might find ourselves overthinking every detail,
Unable to land on a decision because we're trying to get it perfect.
We might become so skeptical of others' views that we shut down connection.
What I've had to realize for me is that this kind of overactive judgment can also reflect an unmet need for control,
Especially in moments when life feels really chaotic or unpredictable.
There have been times when I've even weaponized discernment,
Using it to critique or dismiss rather than understand or integrate.
And this can really close us off from wonder and growth and the humbling experience of being changed by new insight.
Yet another manifestation of its overuse is relying so heavily on the mind that we neglect the body and stop trusting our intuition.
Sometimes we have a feeling about something and it doesn't even make sense.
I've been on a walk and gotten to like a four-way stop and been like,
Which direction am I going to go in?
And just decided to walk back the way I came.
And that was not a logical decision,
That was just a feeling that I had.
And if I was so caught up in my mind,
Who knows what could have happened?
Maybe nothing,
But you never know.
So the antidote to both excess and deficiency lies in remembering that discernment is relational.
It's not just about extracting the right answer in a vacuum,
It's about staying present to ourselves,
To others,
And to the moment.
Good judgment listens as much as it thinks.
I'm going to say that again.
Good judgment listens as much as it thinks.
It's flexible,
It's reflective,
And it's deeply humane.
One thing I touch on a lot when I'm teaching meditation or in my yoga classes is that it requires a certain level of humility and surrender to recognize when our minds are clouded by bias or emotion,
To acknowledge when we've rushed to a conclusion,
To appreciate that maybe we don't,
And maybe we even can't have all the answers right now.
That can be really scary.
The mind is in some ways a protective factor against our own existential fears around,
What if I can't have the answers?
What if some things just can't make sense right now?
I know how scary that can be.
I have been brought to the brink of that again and again and again.
I promise you that on the other side of surrendering that,
You will find that in that state of unknowing,
You are still held.
The earth is still holding you upright.
We can sigh into our unknowing,
And from that place,
From that humility,
We can bring back that childlike perspective.
From not knowing,
What is it?
That can be really beautiful and really exciting.
Then we open our eyes and everything feels like the colors are brighter,
And everything has a bit more clarity,
Perspective.
Anyway,
If you're someone.
.
.
I just got all romantic in my own mind.
If you're someone who tends to freeze when faced with decisions,
Give yourself permission to learn through action.
If you're someone who tends to control or critique or overanalyze,
Practice loosening your grip.
Ask yourself,
Is this clarity or is this just fear in disguise?
Above all,
Let your judgment be guided by compassion.
For yourself,
For the complexity of the world around us.
Discernment isn't about being right,
It's about staying in right relationship with truth,
With our values,
With others,
And with the unfolding of life itself.
I hope these affirmations allow you to reclaim a sense of self-trust and to practice responding instead of reacting to the challenges of everyday life.
Before we begin,
We'll have a really quick blessing.
May we be blessed with the wisdom to see situations clearly and the discernment to make decisions that are fair,
Thoughtful,
And just.
As we exercise our judgment,
May we balance reason with empathy and intellect with compassion.
I will read each statement twice,
Pausing in between to give you a chance to repeat them out loud to yourself,
And I do recommend saying them out loud.
The statements that are easy to embrace,
Savor them,
Appreciate them,
Stand like a mountain in their truth.
The statements that feel not so good,
That feel uncomfortable or foreign or like straight-up lies,
Go ahead and say them anyway.
This is where we are doing the work,
Rewiring those neural networks.
This is also where we gain insight into unhealed wounds,
Limiting beliefs,
And ingrained biases or judgments toward ourselves or toward a particular way of being.
It's great material for journaling or discussing with a counselor or trusted friend,
Maybe even someone doing the series with you.
Whether you're just waking up,
Walking your dog,
On your commute,
Or getting ready for bed,
I hope these affirmations serve your deepest,
Greatest,
Highest self.
Let's begin.
I take time to process before making a big decision.
I take time to process before making a big decision.
I can trust myself.
I can trust myself.
My decisions are grounded in my values.
My decisions are grounded in my values.
I am open to new information and insights.
I am open to new information and insights.
When making a judgment call,
I first become aware of my biases and emotions.
When making a judgment call,
I first become aware of my biases and emotions.
I am confident in my ability to discern what is best for me.
I am confident in my ability to discern what is best for me.
I balance logic with intuition.
I balance logic with intuition.
I seek out different viewpoints to inform my decisions.
I seek out different viewpoints to inform my decisions.
I am patient and deliberate when forming opinions.
I am patient and deliberate when forming opinions.
I am open-minded yet discerning in my choices.
I am open-minded yet discerning in my choices.
I trust my ability to separate fact from opinion.
I trust my ability to separate fact from opinion.
I embrace the process of critical thinking and reflection.
I embrace the process of critical thinking and reflection.
I use my judgment to create positive outcomes in my life and in the world.
I use my judgment to create positive outcomes in my life and in the world.
As always,
Thank you so much for being here and for sharing in the intention to work on ourselves so that we can be better for ourselves,
For humanity,
And for the world at large.
May you go forth with peace.
