Yes! Our choices do matter because life is a one-way journey. You don’t get do-overs and you can’t run double-blind studies in life.
One side of the ridge is cold and foggy.
The other is hot and dry.
Just by choosing where you stand,
You alter your destiny.…Deng Ming-Dao in 365 Tao
This blog is a collection of stories from my life. In each story I make choices. Some of my stories reflect a good choice but other choices are not good. My life has been irrevocably shaped by my choices.
Of course, my parents, my race, the location of my birth, my gender…were not my choice. Much of life is determined by the latitude and longitude of your starting point. Luck!
These stories will focus on events that shaped my life. I am sure I didn’t get up in the morning and proclaim, “I’m going to make some choices today that will effect my entire life!” Instead, life comes at you fast and you look back saying, “Wow, that worked out well” or, “Boy, that was a really dumb choice!”
Maybe we start to think, “What are the longer term effects of my decision?” “If I do this, can I still do that?” “If I spend my money on this, will I have enough for that?”
Choices do not always end in rights or wrongs; they can just be different. If you choose to live on the windward side of the ridge you will need warmer and dryer clothing than on the leeward side. Your choice is not good or bad, just different.
I was over forty when I discovered Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues. After understanding Ben’s virtues I developed my own Unifying Principles. They have guided my life for the past 30 years. I am grateful that I created them and believe everyone could benefit from their own set of principles.
Each story I post will ask some questions at the close and I encourage you to speak up. I want to talk about all of this and welcome our future discussions.
Let’s get started. As always, the conversation starts here.