Choices up for grabs!

Another day is upon us and It’s time to make some decisions, each day we are granted another chance to make change with the choices we make. Life does not stand still for us to decide later what we want out of ourselves. So…… There are choices up for grabs. What choice will you make today? Will you get serious about that last 10 pounds you vowed to remove by the summer? Or will you stop by the local pizza shop to pick up the”‘buy 3 get ! free” sub deal for dinner? And we all know those subs will be accompanied by some beverage loaded with another 1,000 calories. So what will you choose?

I guess it is unfair to talk about choices without speaking of consequences. So I’ll fill you in on a secret our choices we have control over, however the consequences we do not. You are the only one to blame for the outcome of what you choose. When making choices you must count the cost, Investigate the possibilities from all angles and point of views. Most importantly be prepared to accept the ending result of the choices that were made. We all make bad choices from time to time and that’s what makes us human. What makes us exceptional is when we acknowledge are wrong doing and make an attempt to correct, or do different next time around.

Here are my four points to better choice making with hopes to leave you inspired.

1. Be responsible

Before you can seek a way to make better choices I think you must be responsible above all else.

Growing up I had a hard time with being responsible. It began in elementary when I would tell my mom I did my homework so I could go outside to ride my bike or shoot hoops. The teacher had a system where she would make a list of the work missed that can be made up at a later date. Well my list kept growing and growing, I would tell my mother I was doing the work but wasn’t. Well the list grew to be a nice five-page report with a load of vocabulary & math assignments that needed attention.

A list this size couldn’t stay hidden forever! sure enough the “list” (now turned an evening newspaper)that I was lying about was found in my pants pocket while my mom was doing laundry….OUCH! She CHECKS pockets!?!? Well she found it and made me do the work all in one weekend!

It felt good to turn in that work Monday morning as I found out I would have gotten kept back if I didn’t complete the work. I was young then so naturally I am to be irresponsible, but that lesson primed me to think about the consequences of my actions.

That leads me to point #2

2. Determine what’s at stake

Will you gain or lose from what you are about to decide? It’s usually just that simple when it boils down to decision-making. If I brown bag it to work for the next 3 weeks will I save money? Answer is a financial gain! Adding take out to your grocery bill can push expenses overboard. It may not seem like much but if you do the math it adds up.$5 here $3 there $10 later and you’ve spent $50.

Now imagine being in business for 3 years and you haven’t turned profit any natural person would grow frustration and begin looking for a way out. Leaving now would be a mistake as you should give your business at least 5 years to reach maturation to turn sustainable profits. To leave out of frustration would put you at a loss of business and possible a success beyond measure.

This brings me to point #3

3. Never act on impulse

This is short and straight to the point! Never make a decision when you’re Angry, Frustrated, Nervous, Happy or Confused. Emotions are misleading and can cloud the judgment. How often have you said something that you wish to take back because you were angry? Does your frustration cause you to give up on an assignment that presents obstacles?

You’re back is never against a wall you are free to say NO regardless of how aggressive the sales associate is! Your favorite team just won the championship don’t drink the whole bottle of alcohol. You have work in the morning.

An adjustable rate can raise the interest rate on your mortgage at any given time of the term. If you didn’t know what an adjustable APR was you probably shouldn’t have signed the papers just because the house was cheap and affordable. Stay in control and be prepared at all times.

My last and final point.

4. Ready or not here they come!

The time to pay the piper is here! For all the Yes, no, or maybes there will be results. Whether we want to deal with those results or not is irrelevant. Be prepared for either way to accept full responsibility and learn for the future what to do different or move forward as planned. Bad choices WILL cost you a job, money, family, a few pounds, friends, and in serious cases your life! That doesn’t mean all bad choices render you useless or out of the loop. You decide each day to make better choices for a better tomorrow!

To sum it all up

If you’re irresponsible it will be tough to become a good decision maker. Think about the benefits and drawbacks of your actions to make an informed decision. To act with emotion is to act misguided. Be in control at all times. Lastly be ready fr the outcome and what it brings. These four points will give you the results you seek when put into practice. There is only one person who can make better choices for you. Einstein has been quoted as saying “to do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results is insane!” That has since been debated, however I agree and urge you to do different if change is what you are after. I’m choosing to take action and change my employment from employee to self-employed, I’ve chosen to treat my family and friends with encouragement and love, I am making the choice to change my eating habits for a cleaner lifestyle. I am ready for the outcome! It’s a new day and there are choices up for grabs, what will you choose?

Please leave a message and fill me in on your next big choice to make or the last choice you made, and the outcome. I can’t wait to read them.

Let’s choose to take control my friends,

PaPa Jones