A TEACHING MOMENT

I was asked, once upon a time,what advice I could give to a college student. This was during our Uber period, when we met a lot of new young people every week.

We got to know some of the students pretty well, as we would see them multiple times in a week.This young man who posed the question was one of our regulars, and he was preparing for the new school year.

I was given 3 minutes.  

No pressure, right? Many things went through my head. Should it be about money? Relationships? Jobs? Retirement? 

As the seconds went by, I considered what was the most valuable lesson I learned so far in life. The answer came quickly, thank goodness.

Personal responsibility. 

I told him, if you make a decision, own it. If things go badly, there's no blaming anyone. There's no complaining. There's nothing to do but learn from a mistake. 

To minimize mistakes, you MUST look at situation and imagine the worst case scenario. Are the risks/consequences worth the effort? Will this be something I am proud of? Will I regret anything if I do or don't do something? 

It seems to me, if one puts some energy into THINKING about a decision before they act on it, more GOOD choices will be made. One will feel better about themselves, which is always welcome. The lousy ramifications won't be hanging around for us to feel even lousier. 

If only it was EASY to do....