What means that you accept the consequences of your decisions and actions?

Over every decision hovers a measure of uncertainty—for all decisions play out in an uncertain future. Making good choices depends on three elements: the quality of your definition of specific factors that must be satisfied, the quality of your evaluation of available alternatives and finally, the quality of your assessment of the risks associated with those alternatives. Yet too often decisions are made without assessment of the risks associated with a final choice.

Before moving ahead with a decision, it is imperative to consider possible adverse consequences of feasible alternatives. The negative consequences of any action are as tangible as its benefits, sometimes more so. Once a decision has been made and implemented, any of its negative effects will eventually become real problems. The effects of decisions—good or bad—always outlive the decision-making process that produced them.

If exploring potential risks is so important, why do people often fail to do this step? There are several common, understandable reasons.

1. If an analysis of alternatives produces an obvious best choice, it may seem like a waste of time to brainstorm for potential risks.
2. People may be reluctant to inject a dose of pessimism when everyone else is enthusiastic about the choice that’s been made.
3. Too often we are unable or unwilling to apply the lessons of the past to the decisions of today.

It is only once the best choice is identified, with all the data at hand, that we can stretch our imaginations beyond the body of facts that went into a decision, survey it all, and ask: What did we miss? Can we afford the risks involved with this choice? A risk attached to an alternative is not necessarily a totally damning factor, provided that the risk is understood.

Shakespeare aptly wrote: “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.” With that in mind, we must thoroughly explore and evaluate the possible adverse consequences of a decision before it is final. This is the only opportunity we will ever have to deal with such effects at no cost beyond a little intellectual effort. Having recognized and assessed risks, we may be able to avoid them altogether or take steps now that will reduce their effect in the future.

While some decisions involve an array of alternatives, others are binary; yes or no, this or that. There is still value is weighing the risk after carefully deciding not to do something. For example, Blockbuster had over 9,000 video and DVD rental stores worldwide with annual revenue of close to $6 billion when a new start-up—Netflix—offered them $50 million to help launch a DVD-by-mail service. Blockbuster chose not to take the offer. The risk? Missing out on a huge, evolving business model. Blockbuster has disappeared while the market value of Netflix is nearing $200 billion.

The further into the future a proposed action extends, the less certain it can be. It is because of these uncertainties that decision making depends on judgments, evaluations, experience and intuitive feelings. All of these supply the valid data needed to support the correct decision. The inner voice that says, I don’t feel right about this, may be a valuable resource.

We will not lose any sleep over an adverse consequence of low probability and minimal seriousness. But we should be alarmed by an adverse consequence that is both highly probable and very serious. A good decision is one that will work. No decision is so small; no alternative so excellent in comparison to its rivals; no situation so patently fail-safe to warrant ignoring the possibility of adverse consequences before implementing a choice.

About Kepner-Tregoe

We all hope that you are well during this disruptive time in our world’s history.  For over 60 years our company, Kepner-Tregoe has had the opportunity to help major organizations navigate successfully through radical change, help solve intractable problems and increase incident and problem-management performance through tools, training and consulting—leading to highly effective teams ready to respond to your company’s most critical issues.

Some years back I wrote an e-book, "Facing Your Moments of Choice". The books purpose was to discuss six principles that I realized were essential to personal transformation. These principles came as a result of My personnel journey of transformation between 200 and 2006 after a major breakdown that change my life, my career, my perspective of life. I called it My Mindfulness Transformation. These principles were:

1.    Self-Spirituality

2.    Mindfulness

3.    Self-Acceptance & Forgiveness

4.    Self-Integrity (Drawing Your Line in The Sand)

5.    Self-Purpose (Making A Difference)

6.    Regaining Personal Power (Self-Responsibility)

There is one major topic I did not specifically address... Choices Have Consequences. And perhaps this is greatest insight we much understand to be able to take control of our life. To be able to remove sufferings from our lives. The Buddha taught that all sentiment beings suffer. And, that the suffering comes from the fact that all sentiment beings have the power of choice and it it through our choices that we create suffering.

Often, it says that choices have consequences. The big question is, does this assertion stand or hold any essential truth? Well, narrowly speaking, the correspondence theory of truth is while you are free to make your own decision, you are not free to control the consequences of your actions.

Every human being is present with free will to make their own decisions. To do something of your own free will, you do it by choice, but if you allow someone to influence you, then your decision is not free.

While establishing that human beings can think and act freely as a reasonable and moral living being, remember everything you do come back to you. And the consequences, whether good or bad, will follow you forever, and it also affects everyone in your path.

The choices you make can shape you to be unique and set a difference between yourself and everyone else. However, the decisions you make have long-lasting repercussions on your life.

Your life on a daily is a series of cascading choices you have been making over a lifetime. You will live with those choices for the rest of your life, and believe me, you are free to choose your actions, but you are not free from the consequences of your actions.

And as humans, we have the discretion to choose the way we live our life. Our Creator created man with a mind free to choose. Our Creator made him with the freedom to select and the actual ability to determine how the daily choices shape his destiny. This reaffirms that we have the freedom to choose our actions, but it does not free us from the consequences of our decisions.

Although so often in life, people do not wish to take responsibility for the choices they carry out, but on the contrary, we must remember, we must create our reality. And we must realize that if we do not take responsibility and make the necessary choices and someone else make them for us out of necessity, we are still responsible for the outcomes.

If you do not want to admit that your decisions have real-life consequences; you will get crushed by a giant mischievous called paying the price of looking to take on the liability.

One of my favorite quotes is “The price of greatness is responsibility”, Winston Churchill. The great transition from youth to an adult presented us responsible for the choices we make in life.

Try to escape from making choices as you might; you cannot avoid the consequences of your decisions, whether you care to admit it your choices have real-life outcomes. 

It is upon you to distinguish how you flourish in life. Meaning it is critical to attracting what you imagine, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire.

God also gave man and woman the ability to think for himself or herself. This enables you to separate between what is good and what is wrong. Therefore, you’ll make choices that genuinely affect your destiny. Remember, you are free to choose your actions, but you are not free from the consequences of your decisions.

You have the power to create and experience the quality of life you truly desire and need. One of the most incredible gifts given to you by our Creator is the ability to choose. Whether we know it, we all use this skill, and it is called a “surface-level form of power.”

With this capability, your choices are founded on many things such as what to do, what to think, whom to marry, what time to go sleep, what television program to watch, where to work, what to eat, whether you live in a home or an apartment, what model of car to drive, what to wear and among others.

Now that you have the authority to choose, it is essential to remember choices have consequences; you get to make your decisions, but you do not get to choose your results.

Each person with ultimate freedom has the right and the power to act on how anybody or anything outside their being chooses or rely on their actions. So often, some people forget the ability they hold within them to control the path to their efforts.

In life, it is a matter of how the choices you make influence what you become, and how the direction of your lives comes down to those choices you make. The journey to tread in your life depends on your preferences because choices have consequences; you get to make your own decisions, but you do not get to choose your results.

Ronald Reagan, former President of the United States of America, once said that a mind free to choose will always choose peace. However, this does not mean that it limits your choices to a few options, but a foundation depends on a state of mind and the perceived outcomes.

Today, people choose the original course of action. What is evil will always be invalidated by what is sinful, and an act carried out with good intentions will always be rewarded accordingly? It doesn’t matter how long it takes, but the reward for any activity will still be in the offing. That’s why choices have consequences; you get to make your own decisions, but you do not get to choose your results.

Although man has not always had freedom or liberty to make choices in life. For many years, African-American people lived in slavery longing to be free to make their own decisions. We have made significant progress in overcoming this reality since Lincoln freed slaves. But evidence today still says we have a way to go.

President Lincoln freed slavery and gave every man the freedom to perform his/her choice. With this, the privilege granted to all to make their own decision and act for themselves desires to take action to remain unoccupied, choose liberty and eternal life through well thought out, good and constructive choices or choose poorly thought out bad and destructive choices and remain in captivity.

The Buddha said that the greatest cause of suffering is ignorance, lack of awareness. Through ignorance some people like to stay in the consequences of their choices and choose suffering, agreeing to the bondage and power of their destructive choices. So, remember, choices have consequences; you get to make your own decisions, but you do not get to choose your outcomes. 

The Power of Choice

The most vital power that any person can possess in life is the ability to choose. There is tremendous power in being able to make the right decisions because, shortly, you will prosper and remover suffering in your life. We were born and given the power to have the option of what class of life we will live, and what kind of person we be.

Sometimes people make excuses for their downfall and state it just because of how their parents raise or treat them or a product of their environment or choices of others. However, making excuses and choosing to blame others is the reason you failed as you result from the choices you make every day.

There are many choices we can make.

• We can choose how we will reflect our surroundings, or if we affect our environment.
• We can opt to be happy or miserable and unhappy.
• We can accept hard times or in what way we react to hard times in our life, with positivity for a positive outcome.
• We can make our own choices and accept responsibility for our actions or blame others for our lacking accountability failures.
• We can be a victor or take on the role of an injured victim.

Remember the responsibility is yours what choices you are making in your life. Choose wisely because they will lead to the results in positive or negative consequences.

Did you know we can change our life by deciding to be a responsible person?

When you take responsibility for your actions and decisions, you are accountable for the decision you have made. Positive accountability means you will make choices that will assist you in taking control of your lives and not be a victim but a victor.

You achieve what you own by your efforts alone, but your fate is not your own. You need to gain mastery over your actions; you should not sit back and accept whatever happens because choices have consequences; you get to make your own decisions, but you do not get to choose your consequences.

For information on mindfulness, meditation, coaching, counseling, leadership development services offered by Dr Tom B Clark you may refer to his website, bradfordclark. solutions or send him an email to [email protected]

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