In the ever growing material lives we lead I am amazed and what people will trade off to get ahead. Now, think for a moment what are the right decisions? I think we can say it this way. There are decisions that should be made and those that should not. There are many reasons for me to ask this question when I take a look at the lives of those around me. The conniving and backstabbing I have seen over the course of my life convinces me that people are interested in making decisions that are wrong. The right decision is one that is made on the basis on what your heart says NOT what you think is best for you.
Here is an example of what I am talking about. Say you are a financial manager of a company and there is pressure on you to ‘cook the books’ to make it look like the company is doing better than it really is. Is that the right decision? No it’s not! Why not? Over time your decision will become like poison to those around you. Every decision you make has the potential for consequences that go beyond your local environment. Every choice you make effects other people whether you know it or not. What will the consequences be if you ‘cook the books’. Chances are you may ruin your company or at the very least loose your job.
What about your children? Do you work so much that they never see you? I have been there working 80 hours a week because I thought I had to. I wanted this or that but as I heard a wise man once say, ‘whatever you compromise to keep you’ll lose.’ In Australia there is a crisis of materialism. Everywhere I look I see bigger houses, smaller yards, less community and more business. There are countless books on getting ahead and making more money out of this or that. These books lack heart. There is no moral voice saying, ‘hold on but what about the future.’ We have a daycare generation growing up with parents who would rather spend money renovating their house than they would with their kids.
The cost of a house is so high now that it takes two working people to pay the mortgage and in some cases that’s not even enough. How did we get here? What caused us to think that this was worth it? It’s not. Having a house is not a dream worth having if it means that children grow up in a materialistic society. Money is great and I like it but when you attach your values to it and make your decisions through it you have become something less than human. Ask yourself this question: what are trading off in your decision making process to come to this. Why do you need to work so hard and never see your children?
Making the right decision is doing what’s best for your family first and putting all else second. You can kid yourself if you like and say that making the right decision is to work hard but that’s nonsense. Choose to live a life where you work the right amount of hours and spend the rest of the time loving and caring for those that love and care for you. Buck the trend. Do something different… make choices where you put your heart first and your head second. Now that’s making the right decisions.
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