Leadership Gold: Chapter 20: The Choices You Make, Make You

November 20, 2012 — 1 Comment

Choices, now there’s a never ending subject. We constantly make choices. We make choices not even knowing that we made a choice. Isn’t the subconscious great?

a boy's choice of a healthy or unhealthy snack

© Tom B – Fotolia

Maybe that’s why it’s so important to watch what you put into your thought process. How will it come out when it reveals itself? If you have negative thoughts, do your choices have negative consequences?

In this chapter John outlines the three critical choices that govern how he conduct’s himself.

Choice #1: My standards for myself will be higher than what others set for me.

I struggle to follow this principle and how do you set your standards higher unless you ask the other person what they expect? How many people ask, “What do you expect from me?” Maybe it’s time to start.

What happens to someone that allows others to set their standards? They eventually get fired, who wants someone working for them who they have to consistently tell to do better job.

Choice #2: Helping people is more important than making them happy.

This choice is hard for me, I try to keep the peace and make people happy. Sometimes in order to help people you need to say things that they don’t want to hear. It’s like what happens when you take candy away from the little kid because you don’t want them to over eat, it usually makes the kid unhappy, but it’s for their own good.

Now, go tell your spouse that they need to lose weight and see what happens. If they are truly overweight and your intentions are only because you want to spend time with them longer, then the intentions are right. It’s all in the delivery of the message.

Choice #3: My focus will be on the present.

The choices you made yesterday got to where you are today and the choices you make today will determine where you are tomorrow.

Isn’t this the truth, if I chose to drink alcohol and drive, the possible outcomes are;

  1. Arrive home safe.
  2. Get arrested and charged with a driving under the influence (DUI).
  3. Die.
  4. Kill someone and end up in prison.

Sorry to get graphic, but that’s the choice thousands of people make every day.

Making the initial choice is the easy part. Thinking about the possible outcomes and if you are willing to accept them are not.

Choices control everything you do, you even have a choice to breath. What choices can you make today to be a better person, so you can make the choice to add value to others?

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One response to Leadership Gold: Chapter 20: The Choices You Make, Make You

  1. I went over this web site and I think you have a lot of good info, saved to bookmarks (:.

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