[April 19, 2021] We’re all guilty of doing it, rushing through to a major decision. Doing so is shortsighted, and it can affect us most regrettably. In one of the Indiana Jones films, a bad guy hopes to obtain immortality by drinking from a golden, jewel-encrusted cup. He dies. The guardian of the cup says he chose … poorly.
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
All of us are in a hurry. We go about our lives, making many decisions, often without giving much thought to the short and long-term impacts, they will make upon our future lives. Perhaps we did not possess the correct information or were too lazy to give the decision enough analysis and thought. Regardless, humans are prone to making decisions quickly and then moving onto something else. That is a mistake.
It is always a good idea to weigh our options carefully just to make an informed decision. This is where maturity comes into play. Maturity is when you stop whining and making excuses and start doing the hard work required to make a well-reasoned decision.
If we were truthful, we would agree that more time, information, and logic are necessary for valuable decisions. But decisions are often made without the light of a perfect world.
I had a successful Army General once tell me that the ability to choose between a good choice and a bad choice is easy. Anybody can do it. Leave those decisions for those that work for you. Sometimes you have to choose between many bad choices and no good ones. That is where leadership comes into play.
You will someday have to choose which of the bad choices is the least wrong. If you are of strong, moral character, most of your decisions will be for the betterment of all. Muddling through is not a sound methodology for choices that can negatively impact others.
Most people fail at this ability to make the right decision. That is why most are regretful at the end of their lives. They failed to make a decision that looking back, should have been made.
I enjoyed today’s article, so thanks Gen. S. Making good choices regularly is the sign of a good person and successful leader. I have found that we are not made by any single decision – good or bad – but how well we contend with many decisions over a lifetime. The more of them we make and are careful about making, the better we are as a human to our family and community. Too many hide from decisions. We’ve all seen them. I wish those poor people well but they will live to regret what they have not done.
I agree, Don. Too many folks are just cowards at heart and are encouraged to be so.
“If you are of strong, moral character, most of your decisions will be for the betterment of all. ” Here is the heart of what Gen. Satterfield is getting at. Don, well said. Gen. Satterfield reinforces this point over and over. Just go back and read many of his past articles on this subject.
When we look out to tell “good” stories, we best look at those that have risen above the others. Dr. Jordan Peterson calls these mega-stories. They have been retold because of their attraction to us – like the hero and the dragon. Some stories are simply better than others. That is why this movie series about Indiana Jones resonates so well.
Excellent article for this Monday morning. Much appreciated. 👍👍👍👍
Excellent observation, Gen. Satterfield. Here is my favorite quote from the article and one that all leaders should intrinsically know, “You will someday have to choose which of the bad choices is the least wrong.”
Senior leaders have to make tough decisions. That is why they are the big guys. Their choices are not easy for this very reason. All the choices are bad but which are the least bad.
You got that right Army Captain. Well done. It is good to see you agree with Gen. S. on this issue. Going here and reading the comments in the forums section reinforces what I learned here and elsewhere about the details of leadership. Thanks.
Yep, thanks, I was thinking the same thing. If you don’t come to the forums, you are certainly missing out on a richer understanding. This is where we can clarify and elaborate of ideas brought up by Gen. Satterfield and perhaps others who write on the same subjects. What I also like about this website, is that it regularly surprises me with things to think about.
…. and now it’s a meme: https://memedonkey.com/he-chose-poorly/
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Typically, another spot-on blog post by Gen. Satterfield. He alludes back to the movie Indiana Jones (3rd in the series) and one of my favorites, personally. Somehow ‘adventure’ touches us as humans. We desire it. We want it terribly. We often shy away from it because of fear but not because we don’t want to be there. In these movies, the hero is the one who rides forth to tackle what later becomes seen as evil.
Well said, Max. Another movie made from great stories.
Indiana Jones movies were great adventures. That’s why I liked them.
Yeah, me too Doug. I watched them all. It makes you want to be a scientist who adventures out into the wild to become part of a legend. But, no, most of us would not want to travel out of our basement for fear of catching a cold or the flue. How weak have we become?
Ouch, got us there.
True. The movies can be really good – like this series – or really bad. I noticed that on television there has been an introduction of a lot of very bad shows. With our rush to judgment on “black lives matter” a number of shows are popping up. I watch a couple of them and the shows were awful. No surprise there.
I noticed the same but we are cowards not to point out the obvious.