The Not-Doing Decision

In talking with a leader whom I admire greatly, we discussed some valuable lessons he imparted to his teams.  One of the lessons my dear friend Roger talked with me about was how doing nothing is a choice.

Procrastinators, those who put off doing something, are choosing to create panic situations at the last minute. And their choices needn’t affect you.  Last week’s Wednesdays With Wayne - “Not My Monkey” - talked about how you don’t have to take on anyone else’s mess just because they created it.  And this week’s topic overlaps in that the lesson is that for whatever action you take and for whatever action you don’t take, you are making a choice with certain consequences.

Consequences may be intentional and deliberate as you drive toward a particular goal.  Or the consequences may be unintentional and result from either an oversight or some kind of inaction.  

And that brings us back to this: Inaction is deliberate and while the consequences may be unwanted, they can be predicted.  The consequences of inaction are therefore not unintentional.  

The hard truth is that if I choose not to work out, for example, I am inadvertently intending for my body’s metabolism to work more slowly.  Sure, I can look in the mirror and say that I didn’t mean to gain weight. I can also look in the mirror and recognize that my actions AND inactions got me to this place.

If I choose to do a Netflix® binge, I am choosing not to do housework, yardwork, or business development.  It’s an active choice not to engage with anyone or anything else. A “lazy day” is a choice.  There are benefits - positive consequences associated with relaxation - and there are negative consequences, as well.

My friend Roger, who has since retired from the aerospace industry, would have had some serious consequences on the line if he or his team members actively chose to do nothing.  So he taught his team well. Doing nothing could cost lives. Doing nothing, choosing to do nothing, is an active choice.

Where do you choose to step into control, then?  You might not feel responsible for a rocket launch, and I’ll challenge you there.  What would you consider your life’s trajectory? You are responsible for getting things in place right now for the results you’ll get just moments from now or even 20 years from now.  

Choose.  Choose deliberately.  Look forward while living in the now.  What you choose now sews the seeds for tomorrow’s outcomes.  

 

Keep making your magic!

And if you missed out on the offer I made to get my #1 Best Selling book The Significance Factor for free, you can check that out here: www.WaynePernell.com/free

Read something that makes you better!  Rock your week.
See you here next Wednesday!

~ Dr P ~