Decide to Decide Right

DECIDE TO DECIDE RIGHT The future will depend on what we do in the present. ≈Mahatma Ghandi≈ Decision Making In its simplest sense: 'Decision Making is the act of choosing between two or more courses of action'. However, it must always be remembered that there may not always be a 'correct' decision among the available choices. There may have been a better choice that had not been considered, or the right information may not have been available at the time. Because of this, it is important to keep a record of all important decisions and the reasons why these decisions were made, so that improvements can be made in the future. This also provides justification for any decision taken when something goes wrong. Life is full of choices from which we should choose. We all have to decide what we want to do and who we want to become. The sad reality is that most of us have made decisions yesterday that are bearing fruits that we don’t like today. Even though we all know the concept of sowing and reaping, we hardly practice it. It obvious whatever you sow that is what you will reap. Who we are and what we have today is a result of the decisions we had made yester years. The regret and the pain we have today is a result of yesterday’s decisions we have made whether consciously or unconsciously. Sometimes we are influenced by circumstances in our decision making but unfortunately whatsoever the decision may be, it will affect us either way. In some instances we may even forget that whatever we are going through was our own making, hence tempted to blame the circumstance we were when we made irrational decision. We try to remember all the hardship we went through and all the people involved to find a good enough reason to satisfy us to accept our current situation. For years I have been always blaming my current state on my father’s death. I have been always tempted to say only if my father was here, I wouldn’t be who I am today. The funny thing is that it feels so good when you are not to blame. Therefore blaming someone else becomes a good option. Yes I agree that the situation we went through plays a big role in who we become but I hate to say situations don’t decide for us. It’s me who decide at the end of the day. I hear you saying, you just don’t know what I have gone through. You don’t understand my fate in life. I am very sorry, forgive me for not understanding. I really agree that you are going/went through your situations because of others and circumstance beyond your control. In my case it was my father’s death and my father’s family that took all our inheritance away because they believe children don’t belong to the man but woman. Hence the man’s properties and wealth does not belong to his children but nephews, nieces, and his biological brothers and sisters. I blamed my school teacher for failing to give me career guidance. If they could have done that, I would not end up where I AM. After my father’s death I literally have to walk, sometimes, 50 km to the secondary school I was schooling from weekends or to weekends due to lack of transport fund. I have to eat papa with salt only or drink sugar water. Most of the time the sugar is from the neighbors because there was no money to buy proper food. I have had only one trouser. I wore that trouser day in, day out. Don’t you think I had a good reason to drop out of school? We were many of us in that house and sometime we have no food in the house and I mean no food. We till the land with our own hands to produce food for us. No money to hire a tractor or someone with donkies or oxen to till land for us. We worked very hard but we couldn’t produce enough because we spend most of our food before end of the year. In fact all of us went to school, only mom who spend most of her time in the field. Mom had all reason to say kids, stay home, let’s produce food for us to survive or you go to school and die of hunger. I had a very good reason to drop out of school to look for a job to help mom raise my siblings. But what kept me in school? Mom and myself. How? Mom and I decided. She was going to do anything possible and lawful to provide for us. And I’m going to study hard and not let anything stand in my way. Mom sold fat cakes and Okapana (meat sold at open place) to raise funds for us. Do you think that was easy? No. Did I kept my promise? Yes and no. I will talk about that later. The point is, regardless of the situation we are going through, we are responsible for our decisions we make in the midst of the situation. It is sad to say, but when we dwell on our past failure and find comfort in blaming game, we are likely to remain in the same situation for years if not for life. Ifs... and it’s not my fault, gives us consolation and closed roads. Isn’t that often the case? We invest so much time in the journey of not going nowhere but keep cycling around our past hurts, disappointments and circumstances that has gone ages ago and there is nothing we can do about them. They are gone. But what about if we start asking ourselves questions like; what did I do or did not do that brought me here? What can I do to change from here to there? From point A to point B? What mechanisms should I employ to become a better person, business man or leader? What do I love doing that I can invest my time, resources and energy in to better my tomorrow? Confucius said “choose the work you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. Think about your best practice, your wows. What is giving you the peace of mind/inner satisfaction? Stop the BLAME GAME it will not help you accomplish anything.