From The Storyteller
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July 8, 2019, Decide
“Did you ever have to make up your mind; say yes to one and let the other one side?” - Opening verse of a song by the Lovin Spoonful in 1965. The group shared a hard truth when they sang, “It’s not always easy, and it’s not always kind”. Being a teenage boy, I totally got the boy/girl theme and on several occasions could identify with the not always easy part. As I aged however, the song’s words became less about deciding boy/girl stuff, and more about a Yogi Berra quote, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it”. A funny saying with a real message from a scrappy, legendary, professional, baseball player. The message? When faced with the need to make a decision, make it and move on. Which brings me to sharing how, when arriving at that proverbial fork in the road, I make decisions so that I can move on. First, I’m convinced every decision needs to begin with a “YES”, and the yes is to things that are most important to me. How my words and actions will impact the lives of the people I love is my North Star. A road that will include a negative impact on them, no matter what the promised rewards might be, is automatically “NO”. A second example of from my North Star is will my words and actions honor what I believe I’m called to be doing. Yogi’s message - make a decision and move on - contains a truth. You won’t always get it right. So when my intentions are true to my North Star, and those inevitable poor decisions happen, at least my apology will be honest, from my heart, and hopefully well received. Moral: Having a North Star is important. |