I can confidently say, the decisions you make today tell the story of your life. Think about it? At the end of your life, the story that others will tell about you is nothing more than a recap of all the decisions you made along the way.
Were you a kind, considerate, compassionate person all your life? If so, that is because you decided to be a kind, considerate, compassionate person, as demonstrated by your actions. In the end, that will be the story others tell.
On the other hand, were you belligerent, unforgiving, and demanding? If so, like it or not, that’s because you decided to be belligerent, unforgiving, and demanding in your life. And that’s the story others will tell.
So, do you see what I mean? The decisions you make today taken together, tell the story of your life.
Whatever kind of life you live, it is because you made the decision to live that way. So, it can be argued that through your decisions, you are living the story you want to tell.
Scrooge’s Decisions Changed His Future
It is kind of like the plotline of the Christmas Carol. In a dream, the ghost of his partner visited the miserly Scrooge. He showed Scrooge his past, his present, and his future. Scrooge’s future was predicted based on his past and present actions. However, Scrooge was given an opportunity to change his future by changing the decisions he made about how he lived.
As we know, Scrooge had to change the way he lived, his daily decisions, to change the way things turned out in his future.
He made a complete change in his life from that day forward. Scrooge lived the new story that he wanted to tell.
Dad Refused to Change
My dad, like many of his generation, started smoking when he was a teenager. He drank too much. He never exercised, and a diet rich in junk food caused him to be overweight. It wasn’t surprising that a heart attack nearly took him when he was in his 50s.
Doctors told him to clean up his diet, stop smoking and drinking, lose weight, and get some exercise.
Dad stopped drinking, but otherwise, he didn’t pay much attention to the doctor. A few short years later, the second heart attack reduced his heart function even more.
Eventually, he stopped smoking, not because he wanted to, but because he couldn’t breathe and smoke at the same time.
Fast forward twenty years. Dad never lost weight. He never really cleaned up his diet, and he never exercised.
He didn’t want to die from clogged lungs and a decaying heart. But all those daily decisions for all those years took their toll.
Any of us can look at my dad’s story, and we know his life at the end was a culmination of all the poor decisions he made along the way.
It wasn’t the story dad wanted to tell with his life, but it is the story he lived!
Now, the question is, are you living the story you want to tell, or do you need to start living a new story?
Our Daily Decisions
As I said, the story of your life is nothing more than the sum of all the decisions you make every day.
For years, I worked out regularly and watched my diet carefully. I was in great shape. Then, for some reason, I relaxed my routine. A decision to not get to the gym or to eat junk food eventually led to me gaining 20-lbs.
Last year, I decided to go to a convention for writers. However, I didn’t want to attend if I still had that 20-lbs of extra fat around my middle. So, I decided to give myself five months to lose the weight. Every day I had to make a decision to go to the gym. I had to make the decision to eat healthy foods.
It was hard! The temptations were all around me. Work could interrupt my time in the gym. Business lunches could ruin my diet
It was discouraging! What I mean is, there were days when the scale didn’t move at all. All that work in the gym. All that healthy food. And that scale stubbornly stared back at me with the same number day after day.
But I persevered. I stayed the course despite the temptations and the discouragement, all because I wanted to change the story of this part of my life. I wanted this part of my life story to be one of me being a healthy weight, no matter what it took.
The day before I left for the convention, the scale finally smiled back at me. I made it! My daily decisions for five months helped me write a new fitness story.
Business Life is No Different
Our business life is no different! Our daily decisions are also telling the story of our business life.
Are you a knowledgeable, honest business leader who seeks to honor God in all you do? If so, it is because you decided to!
On the other hand, are you lacking in skills, and less than honest in your dealings with everyone? Do you leave God out of your business decisions?
In either case, your daily decisions are writing the story of your business life. Make sure it is the story you want to be told!
As Scrooge discovered, it is never too late to start writing a new, better story in your life!
Another Article About Decision-Making
I’ve written one other article about decision making. In case you would like to read it, here it is:
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Are you making decisions that tell the story of your life the way you want, or are there changes that need to be made to tell a new story?
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Category: Skills | Decision Making
Yep, we are the sum of our decisions. During some of my years as a police chief, my diet was erratic. After retirement, I re-committed to healthier food, daily exercise, and gym workouts. I also cut alcohol out of my diet, which improved weight, digestion, sleep, and focus. It helps to imagine the better person you want to become, and then start the journey toward your vision. Thanks, Ron!
John, I have a hard time imagining you being anything other than your healthy, fit self. You are so right though – imagining myself achieving my weight goal was important for me as well! In fact, that’s all that kept me from giving way to temptation my days!