I’ve heard it said so many times “How did my life get like this” or “How did I end up here”. It really is simple – you are where you are in your life because of the decisions you’ve made. Obviously this does not include any life tragedies or unseen illnesses that might arise, for the average person they wonder how they are where they are.
Every decision you make can alter your life dramatically, the trick is to decide which ones need some extra thought put into them and which ones don’t. We make decisions every single day and the idea here is not to get you caught up in spending much of your day trying to make 1 decision. What I’m referring to is more of knowing where you want to go in your life and making decisions that will define your character.
Where you want to go: I talked a little bit about this in my article about Goal Setting so I won’t spend too much time on it here. The truth of the matter is if you don’t know where you want to be down the road, you will make decisions blindly and end up somewhere that you don’t want to be. Having specific goals for every area of your life will make your decisions much easier simply by asking yourself this one simple question before you make a decision: Will this bring me closer or further away from my goal. End of story.
Defining Your Character: Sadly, I see this everyday as I’m sure you do: People who have become someone they never intended to be, especially in the younger generation. It all goes back to the decisions they have made over the course of their life, the difficult decisions always come when life becomes difficult. Too many times people make a decision because it is easy instead of making the right decision, which may not be easier but will definitely have a positive impact on their life. I remember watching a movie with Nicolas Cage, he’s a single, successful stock broker and wakes up one morning in a different life that he could have had – married with 3 children.
His two opposite life styles came about from one decision he made after graduating from college. In one seen he is in a convenient store buying ice melt when a young girl walks in, buys a can of soda and hands the clerk a $10 bill, the clerk hands her back change for a $20, the girl at first looks bewildered and then just takes the money and walks out. The clerk says to Nicolas Cage – “How sad this young girl has traded her character for a couple of dollars”.
What sticks out in my mind is this girl thinks she got away with something when in reality she has given a piece of her character and the next time she is confronted with a similar situation it will be easier for her to make the same bad decision. As her life continues, it is easy to see how she can become, years down the road, someone she didn’t want to be all stemming from one little can of soda.
Be Careful
Obviously every decision does not have this huge effect on our life, but continually making poor decisions because it is easy or because you will benefit illegally or unethically will not only define your character but will leave a terrible example for your friends and family, especially your children. So the next time you have a decision to make, figure out if the decision you make will take away or add to your character.