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Life
Decisions
Have you ever wondered
where you'd be if you made different life decisions?
I think about it now and then, especially when I encounter
folks whose lives are a mess. I've come across a few
of these in the last day or two. They did some things
that started them down the wrong path. At first it seemed
harmless enough but things snow-balled and soon their
lives were spiraling out of control.
A good friend of mine told me his story a few years ago
and it made a deep and lasting impression on me. He is
a remarkable guitarist and when he was younger, he played
lead for a really famous singer. He traveled around the
world in a Learjet, stayed in the finest hotels, and
earned a lot of money. He was married with a house in
Aspen, Colorado. He was on top of the world - for a while.
But my friend drank excessively, smoked pot, and did
every kind of drug known to man. He was living on the
edge.
Then things started to unravel for him and he lost the
marriage, the house, and he landed in jail. He called
his elderly parents for help but they refused. He had
called them one time too many. They had put him through
rehab, bailed him out of jail, paid fines, and he repaid
their kindness with more insanity. His parents decided
enough was enough and his dad said, with tears in his
eyes, "you'll have to work this out for yourself."
My friend said he was furious - he cursed, screamed and
beat the walls of that jail cell until his fists were
bloody. He called all his old friends but no one came.
He was locked away for months. All of a sudden, he was
at the bottom and from there he had a chance to take
a long hard look at all his life decisions.
When he got out, he was a new man. He started attending
Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and he got his life back
together. He made his way home and made peace with his
family. He has been clean for many years. Several years
ago he married a beautiful caring woman and they now
own a horse farm in Texas.
I asked him once what took him so long to "get it." He
said "I am a lovable person and everybody wanted to help
me, except me. I never once thought about getting my
life straight until I hit bottom. The view is much clearer
from down there," he explained.
The decisions you make each day have an impact not only
on your life, but on the lives of your family and friends.
Life can be hard at times and we find ourselves taking
the easy way out believing that it doesn’t matter,
but everything matters. Even NOT taking action has consequences. “Should
I put some money back for a rainy day or buy a big screen
TV?” “Should I work overtime to satisfy the
boss or go to my kid’s dance recital?” “Should
I go back to school at night and get a better job, or
should I let things ride and see what happens?” I
usually know in my gut which course is the right one
to take.
There is an old saying that goes: Sometimes you get the
test before you get the lesson.
Indeed the answers to life’s questions are not
always easy and sometimes decisions may not turn out
as you hoped they would. It’s best to take the
long view and strive to make the best decision based
on what you currently know. If you make a mistake, learn
from it so maybe the next time around the decision will
be an easy one. |
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