Chapter 41 Decisions and Actions.
Months ago, a relative of mine cried a few times under the burden of her job. She had to work almost every night, leaving her 2 babies hollering at home, and her husband in a fix. Then one day, she decided that enough was enough, and she acted on her decision. She made enquiries and soon landed herself in a much better job; less working hours, better pay, longer leave, and so on. Later her company announced a half years profit of US$20million, and good bonuses and newly- listed stocks for its employees. Is this for real? It is. As you go through life, you will hear of more incidents like this. The lesson from this is: Do it now! If you dont act youll never go beyond where you are now.
Thomas Watson, founder of IBM said, „The worst possible thing we could do was to lie dead in the water with any problem. Solve it. Solve it quickly, solve it right or wrong. If you solve it wrong, it would come back and slap you in the face and then you could solve it right. This teaches us that making a wrong decision is better than no decision at all. Often we do things better after learning from mistakes. If we make absolutely no decision nothing will improve, and we will never learn from the whole experience.
Any analysis of failures invariably shows the other side of the coin. Instead of making changes and making things happen, failing people let things happen to them and allow life to throw all kinds of rubbish at them. We must not allow that and we must not let grass grow under our feet. By not deciding and responding, we put ourselves under the thumbs of people and circumstances. Chaotic and pathetic situations are the consequence of indecision. Shakespeare put it rightly: „At certain moments, men are masters of their fate; and if our condition is found wanting, the fault lies not in the stars, but in ourselves. Resolutions for change are therefore vital to progress and success, but it's not easy; just look at ourselves and others around us. There is a fair bit of stubbornness prevailing. E. Raudsepp said, „To win big, you must be adept at overcoming the central problem resistance to change.
Making things happen can turn us from a dead duck into a live volcano. This brings change that detaches us from the barren past and ushers into a fertile future. Winston Churchill, one of the greatest British prime ministers remarked beautifully: „To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. We shouldnt be afraid to change and to make mistakes, as long as the mistakes are not too costly; we will be wiser in the end. Elbert Hubbard, the great American writer commented, „The greatest mistake anyone can make is to be afraid of making one. Bern Williams observed, „If we try and fail, we have temporary disappointment. If we dont try, we have permanent regret.
Experts found that successful people made decision quickly and seized opportunities, but changed their mind slowly thereafter. They stuck to their guns through thick and thin! I believe we should make changes, but not too often, or we turn into rolling stones. The best approach is to find a beautiful balance between flexibility and persistence.
Our decisions and actions create our destiny. All our lives are a series of choices, leading us to where we are and where we shall be. The old saying is: „We reap what we have sown. We must therefore make the right choices to go far in life. At the same time we must respond intelligently and wisely, not react blindly or impulsively. We may not be able to formulate all the situations that meet us in life, but we can tailor-make the attitudes to tackle or fit those situations! For example, if you missed your train, or if your plane was late, should you stamp your feet and yell at people, or would your rather make your extra time enjoyable and useful? So influence your environment and mould your circumstances, as the great Benjamin Disraeli said, „Man is not the creature of circumstances; circumstances are the creatures of men.
Even in your youth, you should begin identifying your interests and talents, and start making decisions. You could for instance, choose to get a good all-round education first, then slowly specialise as you go along and realise your areas of liking and strength. The initial all-round knowledge will help you to make wiser decisions later. In this way, you are following the right sequence of standing and walking before running! The additional lesson here is that you must be equipped with most, if not all of the facts and figures, to allow you to make good choices. When you are knowledgeable and wise, you need not rely on others to make selections for you. After all, everyone is unique, and other peoples background and experience are unlikely to suit or help you completely. Learn to stand on your own feet, and the more you practise decision-making the better you will be. Turn every stumbling block into a stepping stone!
Decisions and actions, with fruitful performance, lead to power. The decided man, who controls and perfects his actions with consistency, is a master of his destiny. In ending this lesson, I want you to remember these always: Bank on the mightiness of decisions and actions. Enjoy initiative and decision-making. Stick to your decision but be flexible where necessary. Make decisions often and learn from them. It is in these moments of decision and action that you seal your future and fortunes.
"Concerning all acts of initiative and creation...the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too." - Goethe.
"In every success story, you find someone has made a courageous decision." Peter Drucker, the renowned management expert.
"The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you must accept regret." - Frederic Amiel.
"From a certain point on, you have to make a decision and press on without looking back." - W. Phillips.
"If I had to sum up in one phrase what makes a good manager, I'd say that it's that ability to make decisions." - L. Iacocca, Chrysler.
"An executive is a man who decides; sometimes he decides right but always he decides." - John H. Patterson.
"Action creates more fortune than prudence." - M. de Vauvenargues.
"Without action a good decision becomes meaningless, for the desire itself can die through a lack of attempt to achieve its fulfilment." - W. C. Stone.