Tag: decisions

Be judicious with your words

You can always say something that you haven’t said. But you can never undo or unsay something that you have already said.

Be careful with your words. Be thoughtful, kind, and uplifting. It may feel good to say what’s on your mind, but it could be potentially damaging to your long-term relationships. Learn to bite your tongue and tactfully say what you need to say, when you need to say it.

This is not to say you can’t thoughtfully critique anyone (especially those you care for). If you don’t speak up, how can they make a change? But don’t say something in the heat of the moment, or else you may regret how it comes out – and what is said cannot be unsaid.

Control the controllables

Here is what you can control: Your effort. Having the best attitude in the room. Not complaining. Being a good listener. Being able to take criticism. Working harder than anyone else. Researching and trying to figure out ways to become the best. Being a good student.

Things you can’t control? Results/outcomes. What other people do, think, or say. “Luck.”

Focus all of your energy and attention on the things you can control and don’t let the things you can’t control get you up or down. They are what they are. If the ball bounces the right way for you, great! But don’t expect things to go well for you if you’re not putting in the work.

If you did what you felt are the right things and didn’t get the result you wanted, don’t dwell on it. Allow yourself a short period of reflection to see if your decisions and actions were actually correct. If they were, continue to do that and work hard with a positive attitude. Eventually things will go your way. If your actions, while made with the best intentions, ended up being incorrect or ineffective, keep that in mind and change how you act in the future to help produce a better end result.

Taking Action: The cure to fear

Action cures fear. The more you do, the less you fear. Don’t spend time thinking or overthinking about a worst-case scenario of something that has not happened and is not likely to happen.

If there are major consequences to your actions, take the time to think about the best way to approach the situation. Be serious and focused, do your research, read, talk with experts, get advice. But eventually, you have to make a decision with the information at hand. At that point, give yourself grace no matter the outcome. You did everything you could and were thoughtful in your approach.

If there are NOT major consequences to your decision, stop wasting time worrying about it. Time spent worrying is time taken away from enjoying life.

Election 2020

Stay calm.

No matter who you voted for, and no matter who wins, remember what is actually important in life. In the grand scheme of things, this is just a tiny blip on the radar.

You have no control over the election results, but you do have control over your actions. Be kind to everyone you meet (and that includes and social media).

Lastly, once the results are in and there as a president (new or reelected), it is what it is. You can complain about it, or you can move forward with your life. Life isn’t going to stop and wait for you to have a pity party.

Life will go on.

We will survive.

Stay calm.

Be kind.

Go slow to go fast

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Going slow (as long as it is deliberate/well thought out) will reduce errors or omissions and lead to better outcomes. This means that you can often accomplish what you set out to do the first time. But if you move too quickly, more often you’ll miss the little details that lead to your greatest success.

Sometimes, you just have to act without thought. That can be useful and necessary. But for most situations, it’s the pre-action decisions you make that lead to you achieving your goals.