Morning Minute: 9/05/23
“Decision Time! How Will YOU Decide?”
However, you have no process to guide you..
So, you start the “What Ifs?”
“What if I make a mistake? What if they say “NO?” What if they say “Yes?” What if someone else is better? What if I lose my job or my family? What if I lose money, or my business fails?”
“What If? What if? What if?”
As decision time approaches your stomach starts churning. Your head is hurting. Your breathing quickens. Your brain, preprogrammed to avoid danger, presents you with mental pictures of failure. “Who will this hurt? How will I look if I make a mistake? Will I survive a mistake?”
To avoid the anguish caused by indecision, you need a process for making tough calls. May I suggest this 3 step process.
First: Pray, asking God to send you guidance so that your decision is in alignment with His will. If you ask, He will send you the questions to ask and to answer before you decide.
Second: On a clean sheet of paper make three columns. Put a (+) over the left column and a (-) over the middle column and COI over the right column. List the positives of your decision in the (+) column and the negatives in the (-) column.
Third: In that third column, list the costs of inaction, COI, When making decisions, most people neglect this. What will it cost you in money, relationships, and further opportunities by how you decide? Not making a timely decision, or a wrong one, may have positive or negative future impacts.
For example, you do an excellent job in your department. You assume that a you will be promoted. Then, someone less talented than you, gets transferred in to run the department. Do you stay, hoping you will be promoted later? Do you help the new person to succeed in order to help the team? Do you leave for a new and better opportunity? What is the cost of inaction, if you stay?
There is NO guarantee you will always make the best decisions. However, having a decision making process, fosters better decisions, while minimizing the effects of mistakes.
Personally, if my decisions are correct 80% of the time, with my big issues being in that 80%, I am okay with occasional missteps.
Finally, once you decide, support your decision completely to have your best possible outcome!
“Decision Time! How Will YOU Decide?”
That is today’s Morning Minute.
Morning Minute: 9/08/23
“Why Does Discipline Matter!”
Robert, a 3rd grader, misbehaves in class. The teacher calls his mother saying Robert needs to be disciplined.
Miranda, who sells cosmetics, has a bad day and is rude to a customer. The customer calls the manager saying Miranda needs to be disciplined.
Most believe that discipline means punishment. That is not correct! Punishment may result from the lack of discipline. However, punishment is NOT discipline.
Discipline is doing what is right, even when unnecessary, to develop good habits. Then, when doing right is necessary, the disciplined person’s habit forces them do the right thing! Here are some examples.
Educational discipline requires that students learn basic algebra to prepare for more advanced courses. Disciplined students use their basic algebra skills even when not required, so they will understand equations, spreadsheets, and more advanced math.
Financial discipline requires establishing a monthly budget. This budget sets a maximum allowable expense for car payments. When one car is paid off, financial discipline has the family use the extra cash each month to pay off the other car so that they may reach their goal to be debt free.
Each morning, I walk @ 3 miles. This keeps my body in shape and my mind alert. I started by walking ¾ mile for 2 weeks. Using physical discipline, I increased the distance ¾ mile every 2 weeks, until reaching my 3 mile daily goal. Now, even though not required, my habit has me walk 3 miles each day.
Disciplined individuals take control of, and responsibility for, their actions and their results. Plus, they understand and respect other people. Control and responsibility, plus respect and understanding, all lead to relationship discipline.
At work, your tasks must be completed before someone else can complete their work. By controlling your actions to complete your work on time, you utilize occupational discipline as you respect that their work is dependent on you completing yours.
At home, family discipline has couples sharing responsibilities for certain functions such as cleaning, cooking, and shopping. Being respectful and understanding, when one person completes their chores ahead of time, they will offer to help their partner to complete theirs.
Both occupational discipline, and family discipline, are examples of relationship discipline.
In conclusion, punishment is NOT discipline. And, since all discipline is mental, as you think, you will act. A disciplined mind requires certain actions that lead to good habits. Then, those good habits create great results.
“Why Does Discipline Matter?”
That is today’s Morning Minute.
