Last night I went to the Denver Nuggets vs. L.A. Lakers playoff game. A friend had an extra ticket and he asked if I wanted to go. I was really tired and it was a late game. My first reaction was; No, I don’t want to go. However, after a minute to reflect, I thought it would be fun and said yes. I chose to go. The Nuggests lost, but I bumped into a good friend I lost contact with 5 or 6 years ago. It was great to see him. I got his new information and we’re going to golf together soon. If I hadn’t made that choice, I wouldn’t have been reunited with Walter.
I chose to start writing this blog 3 years ago. It started A Sales Guy Consulting. I chose to move to Vail from Boston for one season in 1989, and then chose to stay in Colorado. I chose not to got back to Boston. I met my wife in Colorado. I chose to marry Ellen and not any of the other woman. I chose to have 3 kids. ( I didn’t choose to have 3 girls. 🙂 I wouldn’t choose to change that.) I chose to go back to school after being out for 15 years. I chose not to snowboard. I chose to become a ski instructor. I chose to get my level 1 and level 2 PSIA certifications. I chose to buy a used car instead of a new one. I chose the amount of money in my savings account and I chose to spend what isn’t. I choose to read a book a month. I choose to read only non-fiction. I chose not to go to Chicago this weekend for what I know was a great event with a number of great sales bloggers. (That may have been a bad choice. :)) I chose to get up today at 6:00 a.m. I chose to do this post today, rather than an another one I had in mind. All of these choices have been mine and have framed my life and will continue to frame it. I can’t change that. It’s done. The decisions I make today and tomorrow, just like the decisions above, will shape my life even more.
Everyday we make choices, it’s how life is designed. We can not move through life without choosing. Life is peculiar in that way. From the moment we wake up we construct our day, choice by choice, like masons laying bricks. Each choice setting the foundation for what happens next. Many of our choices seem insignificant and require little thought, but still shape our life.
Our choices bring us closer to some people, and move us further away form others. They get us closer to the things we want and take us further away from those very things. Our choices can be both conscience as well as beneath our awareness. Yet, they are still our choices. The key is to be as aware as possible of our choices. It’s to know why we are making the choices we do and what we expect to get from them. It’s to be honest with ourselves in assessing the choices we’ve made to date and those we will make tomorrow.
When we are aware of our choices we make more deliberate choices. Deliberate choices fit well into the structure of our life. They get us closer to where we want to go. Making choices without awareness is like rolling the dice, some end up being good for us, others, not so much.
When we are honest with our choices, we can measure them for success. Honesty holds us accountable for our choices. Yes, it was a good choice. No, it wasn’t a good choice. Yes, it was a conscience choice. No, it wasn’t a conscience choice. Yes, I should make that choice again. No, I don’t want to choose that path again.
Life has been given to us to design one choice at a time. We will make billions of choices in our life. Choosing is unavoidable. Being aware of our choices moves us in the right direction. Being honest with our choices, keeps us from moving straying off course.
What time did you get up today? Did you spend time with the kids and your spouse. Did you clean the house? Did you play words with friends. Did you work on Sunday? Did you buy those new shoes? Did you save an extra hundred dollars this month? Did you start blogging? Did you read a new sales book? Did you make an extra 50 calls? Did you go to the gym? What choices do you make? What choices are you going to make today? Are you going to be aware of them? Are you going to be honest about them?
Our choices are very different when awareness and honesty are added. How do you choose?