The Sum of Your Life: Choices and Behavior

Our lives are determined by our choices and our behavior. Circumstances, environment, opportunities, skills, experience and talents are all consequential.

The Harvard graduate has much greater opportunities than the person who graduates from the local commuter college. The person born into a wealthy family has a much greater network of potential mentors than the inner city child. The kid who is blessed with genetic code that makes him the fastest kid on the football or track field has greater athletic opportunities than the slowest kid.

Where do choices and behaviors affect those things? Perhaps a better question is, where do they not affect those things?

There are kids who attend Harvard, but never graduate. Whether like Bill Gates, they leave to pursue other dreams, or whether they fail out - they make choices. Harvard may not be a viable choice for all of us. But that doesn’t mean we’re robbed of all choices in higher education. We can choose other colleges. Attending any college is a choice. Finding a way to afford college is a choice and behavior. Granted, many kids make serious sacrifices while others squander the gift of more wealthy parents. It’s still is about choices and behavior.

Besides, life isn’t about comparison. Life is about being our best. It’s about being a positive influence in the the small space we occupy. It’s about success in the terms we define. Your success has no bearing on mine. Mine has no bearing on yours. We may live completely different, but yet both find success, happiness and fulfillment.

Listen, we all know that life isn’t fair. We understand that some people have better circumstances. Life is more difficult for some of us than others. That’s not an excuse for failure. Nor is it a reason to fail. It is a reason to choose more carefully, sacrifice more devotedly and behave in ways to reach our goal.

No matter the circumstance of your life, you have the power of choice and behavior. Beyond that, there’s not much you can control. So why not focus on those things that can make a compelling difference in your life?

Think clearly about your choices. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of your decisions. Consider the long-term and short-term affects. Consider others who may be adversely or positively affected. We don’t live in a vacuum. We need others and we don’t want our actions to be detrimental to others. Ask “what if?” and carefully answer all the what if’s of your choices.

Behave wisely. Propel yourself forward toward your goals by acting in ways to help. Many people crave a better life, but they don’t change their behavior. They act as they always have. They get the same things they always have. And quite often, they wonder why they can’t ever reach their goals. Not getting what you want? Change the way you behave.

Never underestimate hard work either. Choose wisely. Behave wisely. And work hard to get what you want. Life will be richer when you do.