“Fork in the Road”… “People, Places and Events”

Age constitute a series of chapters filed with people, places and events in one’s life with the passing of time.

As one gets older there is a tendency to bring into focus the “memories” of those events. For a moment separate the memories of those events from a specific decision that you made (or someone made for you) that led you to where you are today….that decision probably created the majority of those memories good or bad.

With that said…I thought that I would back track and try to identify the major “fork in the road” that has led me to the present.

fork-in-the-road

I now live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metro-Plex area of Texas…and have for the majority of my life (at my age it is safe to say the majority).  After college I was given a job opportunity that provided me a choice to move to one of several different cities in Texas…San Antonio, Houston and Ft. Worth.  I chose Ft. Worth because I had a brother that lived there at the time. Even though my brother and I had no direct conversation that influenced me to move to the area…the fact is “just because he lived there”…I made a quick decision at that time that has since fill the majority of my life…(he moved out of State less than a year of me moving here).

I could have just as easily chosen Austin, San Antonio, or Houston….but I didn’t. That one decision led me to all the people and events that have filled my life since.  Any other decision that I would have made at that time would have led me to a life filled with different people and events. To me its mind boggling to think for example…if I had moved to Austin at that time in my life…Where would I be today?  That one choice…that one turn in the road…has filled the majority of my life and has influenced who I am today.

Take a moment and reflect on a decision that you made…or didn’t make…that brought you to where you are today.  I not talking about the events that may have influenced the changes in your life…but the one major decision that you made that led you to the surroundings of where you are today.

Someone once said, life is what happens as you are making plans…our every day life becomes a bumper car ride with people and events being the rails that keep us on that continuing path.

If you under 30 years of age…there is a possibility that you haven’t encountered that major “fork in the road”…only detours…and only time will tell.

If you have reached an age where there is more time behind you than in front of you…then I  challenge you to isolate the ‘fork in the road” …and then wonder…what if? 

 

 DISCLAIMER: The information presented is either my opinion or information obtained from sources believed to be reliable and factual; however, I make no representation as to the completeness or accuracy thereof. Any errors, including misuse or misspelling of words is either due to my fingers hitting the wrong keys, oversight, or my own ignorance

Good Decisions vs. Bad Decisions

3-4-2013 9-24-20 AMI am a firm believer that the more facts you have…the more prone you are to make intelligent decisions.  We sometimes tend to fool ourselves about our preexisting knowledge of everything. You may be very knowledgeable about a particular subject matter which will create a high level of  confidence in yourself…but when you allow that high level of confidence to gravitate to something that you know very little about…the old adage takes over “I little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing”.

We are all “ignorant” of various subject matters…but we become “stupid” when we don’t realize or acknowledge that fact.  The best advice you can give (if asked) when it is outside your rim of expertise is simple… “I don’t know…but if you would like…I can help you find someone who is knowledgeable in that area.”

I have been in sales all of my adult life…and to me…sales is a simple matter of identifying the need or pain and arriving at a solution that benefits the recipient.  Sometimes it takes more than your knowledge to achieve that objective. Get over it…you are not an authority on everything.

I have always found it interesting when talking with someone about a particular subject matter (that I do have some expertise in) that they don’t have a clue what they’re talking about…but they do it with such confidence, conviction and authority.   This supports the old adage “when someone thinks you are stupid…remove all doubt by opening your mouth”.

It is not always the right thing to take advice or use someone’s service from someone that you like and respect.  The example that I often use is: “I have a friend that is a doctor who I like and respect his knowledge and ability…but I would never consider using him if I needed a life threatening operation”…because he is a dentist.

Knowledge is the most powerful thing when properly applied to your decision making process.

 

 DISCLAIMER: The information presented is either my opinion or information obtained from sources believed to be reliable and factual; however, I make no representation as to the completeness or accuracy thereof. Any errors, including misuse or misspelling of words is either due to my fingers hitting the wrong keys, oversight, or my own ignorance.