Monday, August 02, 2010

Decisions are Made by Those Who Show Up!

A powerful statement.  It jumped out at me while I was looking over a friend's Facebook page.  I count it as one of my great "ah hah!" moments. No matter how strong your idea, or argument, or passion, it has virtually no power if you don't show up to present it, speak it, defend or promote it.

But that's a big concept that can also be applied even more powerfully in our micro worlds. But in that case, the question becomes, "are YOU showing up..." to manage your life?

Are you showing up and making decisions, or just accepting the default decisions made for you by circumstances or other people? Does the morning news or the driver who cut you off on your way to work determine how the rest of your day will go? or do you show up and take control of your day and your destiny?  Are you accepting the default decisions levied by your own procrastination? or are you showing up... and deciding to actively manage your activities and your life?

I asked myself these questions... and wasn't so impressed with some of the answers.  It's so easy -- EASY -- to throw our hands up and say "I can't control that; the decision is made for me..." but if you're reading this, you know better.  And maybe that restless, discontented feeling you've been battling lately is because you haven't made the decision ... to make a decision, and you've been waiting for someone else -- some circumstance -- to make it for you and take it out of your hands.

If that sounds like you (like it did for me) then, you know what you have to do, right?  Show up! Make a decision. It does a body good!  Even if it's not the best decision, that's okay. You can always show up later, and make another decision.

Decisions are made by those who show up!  I'm back.  Are you with me?

Have an awesome day.

Kelvin

5 comments:

sarah palmer said...

Awesome. Thanks Kelvin and welcome back!
It's amazing isn't it how sometimes you read something and it's as if the writer wrote it just for you. Well, that was certainly the case for me. I KNOW I'm procrastinating about a decision in my life right now and I KNOW I'm hoping circumstances will just make the decision for me...yet I'm an intelligent woman and also KNOW that when I've made decisions in the past I've felt SO much better, more positive, and have oodles more energy. So I started asking...what is it that stops us from 'showing up'and making these decisions so that we no longer tread water but can move on in our lives? And I guess it's the fear thing again. Fear of the unknown, fear of hurting others, fear of making a wrong decision (whatever that is?!). So, I'm now focussing on the energy and positive feeling I'll get when the decision is behind me and that is an amazingly empowering place to be. Thank you for this blog!

BLUEBUTTERFLY said...

Very, very true.

Tamara Smith said...

Postponing decision making is one of the biggest drains on mental (and thus physical) energy there is. I relate to what you said about hoping that circumstances will make the decision for me. When we make a decision, we are accountable for the results, and if those results are unpleasant, but necessary, for ourselves or someone else, it's easy to wish it were out of our hands. Sometimes we feel that making a decision will end our options, and that can be true. But more frequently, like you said, we can always choose to "show up" and make a new decision!

Kelvin Ringold said...

Sarah and Butterfly, thank you for your comments. Sarah, yes... focussing on the energy and positive feeling of having the decision behind us. That is an excellent focal point, as I've observed in my own life that the turmoil of deciding to decide... was almost always much worse than deciding -- and the sleep was much better afterwards ;-)

Thank you for your feedback. Have an awesome day.

Kelvin Ringold said...

Tammy! So nice to see you here. I was talking with one of my mentors this morning and that "accountability" word came up. Your point is well made. Accountability -- the other white meat ;-)

Thank you for your feedback. Have an awesome day.