The Fork in the Road

     Decisions, we are all faced with a multitude of decisions to make each and every day. Some are simple and carry no real implications such as will I wear the red or the blue tie today or do I want grape or strawberry jelly on my peanut butter sandwich. On the other hand we each have a set of decisions to make each day that will impact our course in life and more importantly the lives of those we lead as well. Some people would tell you that they are not a leader, but I would suggest to you that all of us are leaders in some capacity. You lead your business, your family, a team, a club, and you will always lead yourself through the decisions you make each day. Being a leader means you have to make the tough calls in life. Baseball legend Yogi Berra once quipped, "When you come to a fork in the road take it". That advice may seem a little short on guidance on first read, yet it carries a great deal of wisdom and a call to action that must be met by each of us throughout our lives.
     Understand that you have been placed in your position of leadership to make the tough calls, to not always be the popular one, and that your decisions will impact the lives of others. It may not be what you want to do and it may not be what others would hope you would decide, but when your mind is made up go for it! The outcome may not be what you hoped or planned for it to be, but none of us knows what tomorrow holds so we make our best decisions based on the knowledge we have and then we take action to put things in place. Inaction is not a choice, when we fail to make a decision guess what, you have just made one. Keep in mind, you have been placed in the position of authority for a reason, mothers and fathers lead their families and guide their children until they become adults. Coaches have to decide what will be the type of offense and defense their teams will apply, and business leaders are tasked with leading the people they work with in making their business a success. Sometimes our decisions lead to success, yet it is inevitable that sometimes our decisions will fall short of our envisioned outcomes.
     Decision making is tough. No question about that, yet someone has to make the call and in your life you are just that someone. Think about great men in history like Lincoln, Truman, Churchill, and FDR, each of these men had to make decisions that would cost hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children their lives, yet they also had to think about the cost of not making the decisions in front of them. Popular? Correct? History is the jury on those questions, but the important thing to grasp is that they made the call, they pulled the trigger, and they sealed the deal.
     Where is it in life that you are struggling with making the hard calls? Do you give in with your children when you don't want to be unpopular or "the bad guy"? In your professional life would you rather let someone else make "those" decisions? Or how about in your daily walk who or what influences your choices and decisions in all you do and say? Hopefully you will never have to make a decision with the gravity or magnitude that Harry Truman had to make in World War II, but the decisions you make have to be made by you. Remember, not making a decision is a decision. Flipping a coin isn't a sound method either so how do we grow in our confidence when we struggle to make the call?
     For me I have found that making the tough decisions in life is so much easier when I have sought out wisdom and guidance through principles that have been tried and tested throughout history. Prayer and meditation are sound tools for anyone faced with making a decision that will impact the lives of others, and all of our decisions impact others. Paul encouraged the church in Philippi with this call to prayer, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 
     If I read that correctly there wasn't an 100% guarantee that you will always make the "right" decision, but there is an assurance that you will be at peace with your decisions and that the outcome will be measured down the road for it's merit and durability. We are all going to be faced with a multitude of decisions this week, probably first thing Monday morning. Before you get to work, school, or wherever tomorrow finds you, take a few minutes and ask for wisdom and discernment to guide you as you take that fork in the road! 
GO, GO, GET'EM GO!! Have a fantastic week!
Coach Carter