Often times it is easier to know what you shouldn’t do than what you should do. As a matter of fact, there are five things that, if you can eliminate them, will go a long way toward helping you discover what to focus on. So here are the five things you can’t be if you want to be successful, make something of your life, and leave the world a better place.
- You can’t be disrespectful. No matter who you disagree with, or who you don’t like, or what they do or say, you must always be respectful. In word, deed, in print, and verbally, you must work hard to show respect. That’s taking the high ground. And when you get a reputation for being respectful even in high-pressure situations, more and more people will lean your way.
- You can’t be indecisive. I’ve always believed that not to decide is to decide. You will not always have perfect information for every decision. But when a decision has to be made, make it! And then make the best of it.
- You can’t be in a hurry. Hurry corrupts and damages everything it touches. Relationships, businesses, strategies: nothing is helped when moved forward by hurry. Busy, a good busy, focused on a goal: that’s a good thing. But a bad hurry focused on a flurry of activity where people become a hindrance and a bother, rather than the reason you exist, is a destructive thing.
- You can’t be cynical. We live in a world of cynics, people who don’t really believe in anything. They find it easier to destroy or criticize those who are out there trying to make something good of the world. The problem with cynicism is it’s like a virus. It’s easy to catch. The Scriptures tell us that bad company corrupts good character. And it is never more true than when you’re around cynical people. As a parent, my goal in life is to raise a super-confident kid in a super-cynical world. That’s your challenge in every area of your life. Do not be a cynic. Always believe in hope.
- You can’t be alone. God created us for relationships and the more we work to grow great, lasting, loving, mutually-beneficial relationships over time, the better off we’ll be. You need them at home, at work, and in every environment.
Those are the five things you can’t afford to be. What are the five things that you ought to be? that’s next.