Changes: They Just Keep on Coming!

CHANGES: They Just Keep on Coming!

It's been a while since I posted my last blog article but my guess is that you have experienced several changes since that last posting, right?

As I said recently, the only constant thing about change is that it is constant! Things constantly change!

Hey, I have to brag for a moment... since my last article my wife and I (as well as our oldest son and his wife) have gone through a HUGE and WONDERFUL change! We welcomed our first little grandbaby girl into the world just a few short days ago. We told our son and his wife that their life is now changed forever - but it is a POSITIVE change that will be well worth anything and everything that comes about because of this change.

Now, you think for a few moments and try to think of how many changes have taken place in YOUR own life since my last article was posted back on November 11, 2011.

Well?

I can just about assure you that there has been more changes than you realized IF you really take the time to think about it.

Try to categorize those changes into the categories that I mentioned in my last article. In case you don't remember or don't want to go back and search, here they are:

TYPES OF CHANGES: (1)Those we voluntarily bring on ourselves... (2) those that we have no choice in but are not "against" us (change of seasons, life changes due to age, etc.)... (3)those that come at us DUE TO our actions and (4) those that come to us 100% involuntarily and at no fault of our own.

For today, let's discuss those in category 1: Those that we voluntarily bring on ourselves. A prime example would be the decision that my son and his wife made to have their first child. Voluntary for sure but a decision that will bring MAJOR CHANGE into their lives and, to be honest, not all of them will be changes that will always bring joy into their lives.

I talk to a lot of people that gripe and complain about situations in their life that, after talking to them for a bit and more information is revealed, are due to CHOICES that were made VOLUNTARILY by them! No one else FORCED them to make those decisions or choices.

I talked to a guy earlier today that wasn't complaining or griping but was telling me he was having to sell just about everything he had because he was out of work. Why was he out of work? Because he couldn't "take the crap" (his words) anymore so he quit.

It was his choice and I hope that he is happy with the choice that he made and I hope that he will be able to provide for he and his wife due to this voluntary change.

What changes have taken place in YOUR life due to YOU willingly, and voluntarily making a CHOICE that brought about this change?

Hey, bottom line: they don't always turn out the way we think, right?

Been there, done that!

So, key lesson with this: THINK AND THINK HARD BEFORE YOU MAKE THAT CHOICE!

Sometimes - many times - it is the RIGHT choice that needs to be made and, at other times, it's not necessary and is due to our impatience.

Think about it, examine the changes in your life that fit this category and see if there is some way for you to make the most out of the changes that you brought into your life voluntarily.

Sometimes it takes us being HONEST with ourselves and ADMITTING that we actually are the ones responsible for those changes EVEN IF THEY DON'T TURN OUT THE WAY WE WANTED OR EXPECTED!

Fair enough?

I hope to get a few more of these articles out sooner than I have been able to do so recently so be watching and listening to the podcasts that I will be recording with them. As always you can access all of this information at my website www.FutureYouUniversity.com

Take care, friend and, as always, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Choose Responsibly, ACT Responsibly!

Would THIS Help?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if it really WAS as easy as seeing a sign like the one above?

Now, let me ask you another question...do you think you'd STILL choose the "RIGHT DECISION" 100% of the time even if there WERE such a sign right in front of you?

Let me answer that for you...NO, you wouldn't!

Why? Because that's just the way we are. We are basically selfish people and we tend to do what WE want as opposed to what may be the "right" or "best" thing to do.

Follow me on this example and be honest with yourself. How many times during the course of your life have you KNOWN what was the right vs. wrong thing to do and you chose the WRONG thing anyway? You may have even known that you might get punished and/or grounded when (not if!) your parents found out about it but, your SELFISH desire to do what YOU wanted overcame that fear of punishment and, you did what YOU wanted to do anyway!

Not very responsible, is it?

Now, sure, we can excuse things like that to our being young and foolish but - ARE YOU READY TO GET HONEST NOW? - how many of us STILL act in such a way from time to time?

You see, it's not enough to just CHOOSE responsibly but it's also important to put that CHOICE into ACTION! And, yes, it's possible to choose and not act....remember, you HAVE done such a thing even in your own life.

If you're still having a hard time thinking that you HAVE done such a thing let me ask you still ANOTHER question. Has anyone - EVER - in your whole life ever said something like the following to you....."But I thought you said you were going to ____________ (fill in the blank)!" ?

That's right. You may have even "announced" what your choice was and STILL decided to do something different. You decided NOT to act upon that choice. It may be something as simple as, "I thought you said you were going to wash the car today!" to something much more serious such as, "I thought you said you were going to stop drinking!".

So, to sum this all up, let's look at what we've discussed:

1. It's important to CHOOSE RESPONSIBLY what we allow into our minds. What we allow into our minds/mindset (positive or negative) WILL have a DIRECT impact upon our lives and the lives of each and every person that we come into contact with each and every day.

2. Understand the responsibility that you have to others besides yourself. It's not all about you! But, at the same time, the better you become the better you become for those around you!

3. Don't make choices or decisions "in the heat of the moment". They will most likely be the WRONG decisions.

4. Do the research needed to make a responsible decision. Pray about it. Think about it. Sleep on it. Then, and only then, should you really try to make such a decision.

5. Even after all of what you did in #4 DO NOT be tempted to still act upon your selfish impulses. It's not enough to just CHOOSE responsibly, you must also ACT upon that responsible choice!

Hey listen, we are all human and we will STILL make irresponsible and/or unwise decisions. However, we CAN equip ourselves in such a way that we make fewer and fewer of these types of decisions in our lives.

I'd love to hear any feedback you have on these thoughts and your experiences in this area.

Thanks for your time today and be sure to check out the audio podcasts on these topics at http://www.michaelspillman.com/

Until next time...

"Be sure to make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

How To Choose Responsibly

"HOW TO CHOOSE RESPONSIBLY"

Good ol' Monty Hall and "Let's Make a Deal". I talked about this program in yesterday's entry so, if you missed it, go back and check it out.

One of the things I mentioned was the tendency of ALL of us to say AFTER all has been revealed, "Oh, I KNEW I should have picked that other choice!"

20/20 hindsight, remember?

I'm sure you would agree that this is EASY to apply to our lives. I'm sure ALL of us can look back on both good and bad decisions we have made and see rather EASILY what we either should have done or breathe a sigh of relief because of what we DID choose.

So, how CAN we choose responsibly?

The main part of the answer is found in one word in the question - "responsibly".

Decisions that are made without much thought are usually irresponsible decisions. They may be made in the heat of passion or anger or just an overdrive dose of excitement. (By the way, this is why so many sales pitches try to get you to "BUY NOW" or tell you that the offer is good "for today only"! When this is the case you might want to really consider staying away at LEAST until you have had a chance to step away and think about it AWAY from the hype.)

So, first and foremost, in order to make a RESPONSIBLE decision about ANYTHING, make sure you are not being swayed by emotion of any kind.

You should also avoid any choice that is being swayed by DESPERATION! This is another type of emotion that bring people to making rash and irresponsible decisions. Again - PAY ATTENTION TO THIS PATTERN - there are many "sales people" that are actually looking for people to "prey on" that are DESPERATE. Again, take the time to step away from the situation and give yourself a chance to think clearly.

Think about it this way - many times when someone is struggling to keep from drowning they will take their rescuer down with them and drown them as well. Why? PANIC! DESPERATION! Life guards are taught to be aware of this upon their approach so that they do not become a second victim of the situation. Most people, when they have a chance to think of it when they are NOT desperate, know that they should try to remain calm and listen to the rescuer and do as they say. But, in the heat of the moment it's often a different story!

And, finally (at least for this article) you must consider your RESPONSIBILITY toward others if you wish to choose responsibly. This is the part that I said was found in one of the words to the main question. All of the things that I have mentioned so far in this article can fall into this category. Consider your responsibility to others BEFORE making a choice. This may be your spouse, your kids, other family members, your boss and/or coworkers, etc.

You may - in the heat of the moment (remember, this is the time to STEP AWAY!) decide that you want to take a job on the opposite coast without even thinking about the repercussions on your family. Oops!

Sure, it's "your life" but you have also made some choices earlier in your life - if you have a family - that has brought others into the equation that MAKES UP "your life" and they MUST be considered in your decisions. Like it or not - that's just the way it is, friend.

UNLESS you choose to act irresponsibly!

And, if you are NOT married and you plan to do so one day then, please understand, it is IMPERATIVE that you spend time talking about all kinds of things with your potential partner so that you can BOTH see if you are on "the same page" on important things.

Well, that's enough for today.

How do you choose responsibly? DO NOT MAKE DECISIONS IN THE "HEAT OF THE MOMENT". That's it in a nutshell.

HOMEWORK: (What? What do you mean "homework"?) Take a moment and look back over decisions that you would now label as "poor" and see if you can find some "heat of the moment" factor that was connected to that decision. I'd love to hear what you find.

Until next time...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

http://www.michaelspillman.com/

"Choose Responsibly!"

"CHOOSE RESPONSIBLY!"

Your first thought may be, "Choose carefully!", which is also very important to remember but, today, we are going to focus on the "responsibility" aspect of our choices.

When I chose the picture for today's blog article it made me think of the old "Let's Make a Deal" program with Monty Hall. (Yes, I know there is a remake on television right now but I prefer the original on ALL of these game shows).

There were CHOICES that the contestants had to make all through the program and it would come to the grand finale when the top contestants would CHOOSE their final prize (one of which was the GRAND PRIZE for the day). Door #1, Door #2 or Door #3?

I vividly remember yelling MY choice at the t.v. when I was a child but I'm sure YOU have NEVER done anything like that, right?

Now, think about this...how many times have YOU said (or heard someone else say) something like, "Oh, that's the one I WAS going to choose!" once it has been revealed that you picked the wrong door?

20/20 hindsight, right?

We can do that in just about any and every area of our lives, can't we? I know I can!

So, yes, not only is it important to CHOOSE CAREFULLY when it comes to the choices that we face every day but SPECIFICALLY when it comes to CHOOSING what we allow into our minds, but, even more importantly is the fact that we must choose RESPONSIBLY!

Why? Because, again, what we CHOOSE to allow into our mindset will not only impact US but it will also have an impact upon EACH and EVERY person that we come into contact with throughout each and every day. And this starts with those that are closest to you.

RESPONSIBILITY for CHOOSING what we allow into our minds.

Let that concept sink in a little and I'll continue this discussion tomorrow. But, until then...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com