3 Valuable Lessons You Can Use to Make Better Choices

On my Dad’s knee, I learned the importance of making wise choices. Despite being raised in a Catholic orphanage without privilege, connections, or social standing, my father built a healthy and loving family and a thriving entrepreneurial business.

My Dad lived the American dream because he understood that although he couldn’t control his circumstances, he could control his choices.

So, as you think of the freedoms the pandemic has snatched from you, celebrate that it hasn’t stolen your freedom to choose. You, and only you, still choose your response to any situation.

Why do we make poor choices?

Unfortunately, though, I often take my freedom of choice for granted. I procrastinate. I make hasty decisions. And worst of all, I let other people choose for me.

Now that isn’t very wise.

Because the truth is, if I make better choices, I’ll get better outcomes. The right decisions can transform my future, and the right decisions will move me closer to my goals and dreams.

Why do we make the easy choice, the wrong choice, or no choice at all?

Because we know that our choices have consequences, and when we choose, we’re committing to an outcome that we probably don’t understand or haven’t thought through.

Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. (Proverbs 2:11, NLTse)

3 lessons for making better choices

Now you’re probably asking what all this has to do with the 4th of July.

In researching various 4th of July quotes I couldn’t miss the parallel between the freedom our founding fathers sought and won, and the freedom we have to make our own choices.

Three critical lessons jumped out at me:

1. Decisions require hard work

Take your choices seriously and know WHY you’re making a decision. Understand the consequences and recognize the benefits. Remember that even small decisions, like your daily habits, impact your future when compounded over time. As Dr. Shannon Irvine says, be aware of your choices, because either you’re advocating for your future or you’re not.

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed — else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. — Dwight D. Eisenhower

2. Decisions require courage

Decisions require change, and change is scary. Our brain’s primary function is to keep us safe, so we’re naturally inclined to maintain the status quo. Our brains protect us from the rustling in the bush that we hear and cannot see. But as Rick Warren says, there is no growth without change.

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. — Harry S. Truman

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. — Elmer Davis

3. Decisions require sacrifice

Nothing worth having is easy, and to move from good to great, you need to make tough decisions. Decide on what’s essential and cut-out activities and relationships that hold you back. As Dr. Benjamin Hardy says, intentional change is emotionally rigorous. And if you’re unwilling to make purposeful changes to your behavior and environment, don’t expect massive changes.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. — Thomas Paine

Freedom is never free. — Author unknown

Our freedom to choose is the real reason why the 4th of July is so special to me. It represents the freedom to dream and the freedom to change. And it’s a reminder that every day, I can wake-up and exercise the right to decide my future. Now that’s something to celebrate.

Be wise and successful

1. Work. Who do you want to be? What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Remember that every decision has a purpose. Always consider the consequences of your choices.

2. Courage. What big choice are you struggling with now? What are you afraid of most? What are the potential outcomes? Write down your response to each outcome and make an informed decision.

3. Sacrifice. What choices do you make every day that hold you back from living the life you want to live? What, or whom should you give-up to live a healthier and less stressful life? Create an environment that supports the decisions you want to make.