Friday, May 7, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Decisions, Decisions
I find myself thinking today and considering some major issues in my life. I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to determine which, among many options, the “right thing” is. Someone once told me, “You suffer from an ancient disease, Analysis Paralysis.” That was one of the most helpful criticisms I’ve ever received and I did listen. The problem is I still do it.
Be honest and think about it with me. If you’re considering whether to murder someone (except a rotten ex-lover who totally did you dirty) or not to murder someone the choice is fairly easy. In other cases they can get blurred somewhat. Why do you think Shakespeare wrote “to be or not to be….” Do I buy a Chevy or a Ford? Do I take a job that pays an outrageous salary, but I have to work in a bad environment, or do I take another that doesn’t pay well, but I love going to work each day. Choices can get complex. There are many other choices that confront us each day that are much “closer calls” and yet may well have a dramatic impact on our lives.
I faced a decision in my business 20+ years ago that caused me much consternation. I was a Custom Home Builder progressing through the ranks and learning the lessons in the School of Hard Knocks. I got to the point where a faced a necessary decision. When building a house I did much of the work myself. As a tradesman and a builder I paid myself wages from the concrete foundation, framing, roofing, electrical (etc.) budgets as well as including having a supervision budget item. This was a natural way to have a steady income during the construction process. The only problem was that my true giftedness lies in the business management arena and not the tradesman. I was very capable and my prior experience gave me the “know how”, but my passion was in managing my business and that’s what floated my boat. My heart said, “back away for the trades and hire more sub-contractors”, but my mind said, “you need the cash flow.” I would need more than one house under construction to provide enough income from the supervision budget alone to support my family. Eventually, profit on the projects considered, the cash flow question gets answered.
Life is never so simple and straight forward so as to hinge on one issue and mine was no different. After much sober reflection (hind sight = 20-20) of this era of my own life this was a major piece of the puzzle and I did not make the best choice. One of my biggest mistakes was that I procrastinated on the choice (analysis paralysis strikes again).
As a result of not following my heart and playing to my strength, I crashed. My family was blown apart and worst of all my children were adversely affected. The most innocent of all suffered for none of their own decisions. Any honest person would have to acknowledge, that hurts.
I’m past that time now, but the lesson has been duly noted and paid dividends over the years. The lesson learned? Well it breaks down into a few pieces.
1. In Life all we have is right now…and then it’s gone. You have to live in the present. Take life as it comes.
2. As a result we need parameters, standards and/or models to hold issues up to and compare against to be able to make good decisions. Goals that are clearly stated, a Mission Statement for our life makes some decisions automatic and all decisions easier. Dizzy and confused or just plain lost is the person who floats.
3. The standards we adopt and hold too MUST be real. They must be anchored in truth. Verifiable. Proven. Albert Einstein said (in essence) theories of Physics must be provable or they’re incomplete at best and certainly never correct.
Well it so happens that many years after that situation mentioned above I face another major decision. I’m not able to view into the future and see how one choice may differ from another in a couple of years. I’m here right now and all I have are my tools. I came by all of them honestly; I paid for them with my own heartache and joy.
As I look at my situation I’m tempted to ask myself, “What on earth are you doing?” As a matter of fact I’m not only tempted, I have asked myself, “What on earth are you doing?” The answer is taking life as it comes and doing my best.
Be honest and think about it with me. If you’re considering whether to murder someone (except a rotten ex-lover who totally did you dirty) or not to murder someone the choice is fairly easy. In other cases they can get blurred somewhat. Why do you think Shakespeare wrote “to be or not to be….” Do I buy a Chevy or a Ford? Do I take a job that pays an outrageous salary, but I have to work in a bad environment, or do I take another that doesn’t pay well, but I love going to work each day. Choices can get complex. There are many other choices that confront us each day that are much “closer calls” and yet may well have a dramatic impact on our lives.
I faced a decision in my business 20+ years ago that caused me much consternation. I was a Custom Home Builder progressing through the ranks and learning the lessons in the School of Hard Knocks. I got to the point where a faced a necessary decision. When building a house I did much of the work myself. As a tradesman and a builder I paid myself wages from the concrete foundation, framing, roofing, electrical (etc.) budgets as well as including having a supervision budget item. This was a natural way to have a steady income during the construction process. The only problem was that my true giftedness lies in the business management arena and not the tradesman. I was very capable and my prior experience gave me the “know how”, but my passion was in managing my business and that’s what floated my boat. My heart said, “back away for the trades and hire more sub-contractors”, but my mind said, “you need the cash flow.” I would need more than one house under construction to provide enough income from the supervision budget alone to support my family. Eventually, profit on the projects considered, the cash flow question gets answered.
Life is never so simple and straight forward so as to hinge on one issue and mine was no different. After much sober reflection (hind sight = 20-20) of this era of my own life this was a major piece of the puzzle and I did not make the best choice. One of my biggest mistakes was that I procrastinated on the choice (analysis paralysis strikes again).
As a result of not following my heart and playing to my strength, I crashed. My family was blown apart and worst of all my children were adversely affected. The most innocent of all suffered for none of their own decisions. Any honest person would have to acknowledge, that hurts.
I’m past that time now, but the lesson has been duly noted and paid dividends over the years. The lesson learned? Well it breaks down into a few pieces.
1. In Life all we have is right now…and then it’s gone. You have to live in the present. Take life as it comes.
2. As a result we need parameters, standards and/or models to hold issues up to and compare against to be able to make good decisions. Goals that are clearly stated, a Mission Statement for our life makes some decisions automatic and all decisions easier. Dizzy and confused or just plain lost is the person who floats.
3. The standards we adopt and hold too MUST be real. They must be anchored in truth. Verifiable. Proven. Albert Einstein said (in essence) theories of Physics must be provable or they’re incomplete at best and certainly never correct.
Well it so happens that many years after that situation mentioned above I face another major decision. I’m not able to view into the future and see how one choice may differ from another in a couple of years. I’m here right now and all I have are my tools. I came by all of them honestly; I paid for them with my own heartache and joy.
As I look at my situation I’m tempted to ask myself, “What on earth are you doing?” As a matter of fact I’m not only tempted, I have asked myself, “What on earth are you doing?” The answer is taking life as it comes and doing my best.
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