Believing that a decision is permanent is usually fatal. Sometimes a “best choice” is temporary, and needs to be refreshed over time to remain a good decision.
As the eagle catches the snake
You got to be kidding me! Don’t tell me you made another stupid mistake?! What is the matter with you? Didn’t you learn from the last time you did something this stupid?
Sounds familiar? If it does, you should keep in mind that we all make mistakes. Edison made 1001 attempts by his own counting before he invented the light bulb, but thank God he kept trying, or we’d all be in the dark right now. Walt Disney declared bankruptcy more than once, but if he hadn’t gone on, in spite of himself, Mickey would be starving in the street instead of living in that lavish palace of his. Babe Ruth struck out many more times than he hit home runs, and everybody thought he was “bats” until he turned it towards his advantage (Sorry…couldn’t resist that one). And you too will fail, again and again. But the secret to success is forgiving yourself and to keep trying.
Some of these famous predecessors have demonstrated that we only have failed, when we quit. If you cannot make a successful decision, then every aspect of your behavior is affected. Emotionally, you are hurting inside and not at all aware of how to stop that inner storm. Outside, you attempt to seem like everything is okay, and you are stable and calm, making your inner storm even greater, because you are living your own personal lie. Let me make an attempt to help you out of some of this storm.
Perhaps some of these suggestions will bring you enough calm to get back on the path of making successful decisions that can turn your life around. Before we even begin the decision process, you have to be aware of who you are and where you are going. Millions of people have no idea who they are or why they are here. So many of us wander in mental oblivion, making wrong decisions and watching our world crumble before our eyes, and not even knowing why.
If you need statistics, all you have to do is examine the number of divorces in your county (approximately 2 out of 3 marriages end in divorce), number of murders in the past six months, assaults by juvenile delinquents who are being brought up by confused parents who have no idea how to raise their children, theft and robberies, war, and I could go on and on, and so could you. And of course, the results reveal that all of this is unsuccessful decision making. A simple examination of who you are and why you are making wrong decisions could turn this troubling trend around in no time, and sometimes the solution is no further than a simple change of your mind.
You must match your goals to the decision you are making, determining first if your goal is worthwhile, and then why there are problems that need decisions because of the activity that is bringing you to your goals. And now you are ready to deal with the problem by going through the decision process. Expert decision makers can go through this process quickly and solve many problems, both theirs and others, and they become known for their wisdom. Too many people rely on impulse or intuition to make their decisions, which ultimately causes us to experience divorce, or delinquency, or war. And many besides just the decision makers live with the consequences.
If we walk before we run, if we slow ourselves down to determine the good and bad of what we are about to do, and why we are about to do it, then we can greatly improve our activity and the quality of our life. Now you are ready to begin the Decision-making Process. And just because you have done the research, you still have to supply the input as to what is better or worse for the decision-making process. You must honestly ask questions objectively and see where your research takes you.
Maybe you have a talent for math, but you still hate the idea of being an accountant. You have to pay attention to yourself and the advantages as well as the disadvantage to make your decisions properly. Sometimes a “best choice” is temporary, depending on the circumstances, and that means that the choice will only work for a period of time. There are very few permanent decisions. In fact, believing that a decision is permanent is usually fatal. Getting married and assuming marriage is going to be permanent no matter what, is almost always fatal. We can lose it if we don’t make the decision to refresh our marriage every day. Every new day of our job needs to be refreshing, and any relationship without fresh decisions is almost always fatal. There are short term goals and long term goals, and we must identify which is which, and how each applies to our situation, or situations, as the case may be. Each plan, each decision, is simply a starting point for living right, for making proper decisions, for making your life what you want it to be. Be creative: Search your options and make a decision. Change them as they need to be refreshed, and learn to live happy and in the wisdom of making right and proper decisions.
He who does not pay attention to his personal history and the lessons to be learned from his own experience will be forced to repeat it. And last but not least, learn from those who have gone before us, even if they have already passed away. They also went through a life of experiences, of trials and tribulations, often forced by the same experiences of having made the obvious mistakes.
