Monday, February 1, 2010

Good Decisions vs Bad Decisions

Over the years it has become obvious to me that good decisions, breed good decisions and bad decisions, breed bad. What I mean by this is that the first good decision you make will create a good result and from that result, more good decisions are made. Just the same but in the other direction, you're bad decisions will also show their bad results which will usually be followed by more bad decisions. Even though it would take pages to show a really thorough example, take a look at the simplified example below:

Your friends ask you to stay out late on a work/ school night for just a few more drinks and a little more fun:
You decide to go. (Knowing it’s not in your best interest)
I could write out the rest of the night for you but as everyone knows, it is not usually in your best interest. The next morning you have a hard time getting out of bed. You may show up late to work. You may be more confrontational and defensive than normal, due to the night before. You may make a mistake at work or school you normally would not have, not to mention the hundreds of other things that will happen throughout the day, as a result of your decision to stay out later ,the night before. As if all that was not enough, you throw your schedule off and when you come home from work instead of going to sleep, you might decide you’re ready for round two.
As you go through the night and following day in your mind, you see all of the negatives and bad decisions that followed and where a result of the first.

You decide not to go. (Knowing it is in your best interest but worrying that you might miss out on something)
You go home, follow your routine and go to bed peacefully, without the worries of spending extra money or worse a night in jail. The next morning you wake up as usual and go to work. You have a productive day as usual and feel good about yourself. During the day many good things follow and because of your attitude and clarity you continue to move forward in a positive direction.
As you go through the night and following day in your mind, it becomes obvious that everything was a direct result of your good decision.

Heres the bonus:
A good decision requires short term sacrifice up front with long term rewards. In the example above it required sacrificing the potential fun for the night but the long term reward was the following day.
A bad decision is easy to make short term but requires long term sacrifice. In the sample above it was easy to stay out late but you paid the price the following day.

This illustrates that even if you are not motivated by good or bad, the smart decision(good) cost you less in the long run.

1 comment:

Mary said...

Quote of the day: "A good decision requires short term sacrifice up front with long term rewards. A bad decision is easy to make short term but requires long term sacrifice." It is SOOO True! And great advice even for something as mundane as dieting!