Friday; October 27

Throughout my lifetime Theodore Roosevelt seems to have developed a greater following. I don’t really recall hearing much about him as a child, but now, a lot of people seem to hold him in high esteem. So, following the trend, on the 165th anniversary of his birth I thought I would spotlight him – we’ll sort of. You see there are a lot of “Teddyisms” that I like, I recently came across one that caused me to stop and reflect. According to one source, Roosevelt said, “In any moment of decision, the best think you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”. I don’t know if there is a connection, but many of us have heard a parallel to this logic, “Don’t just sit there, do something!”. Now, while I think everyone would agree that doing the right thing is the best thing that can be done, but it is on the second point that I seem to object to President Roosevelt’s logic. While I understand that freezing up in a moment of crisis can create issues, making bad decisions can be catastrophic! The adage that it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission can lead us into dangerous waters. Sure, some poor decisions can be corrected, but some can’t. Now I am not saying that becoming frozen to the point of incapacity is good, but often slowing down and applying wise caution can keep us from making irreparable mistakes.

Are you facing challenges in your life? If so, I hope you will readily make the right decision – but if that isn’t obvious don’t get in too much of a hurry to just do something to get things moved off of center. Remember, there are times when a delay based in wisdom is captured in the adage, “Don’t just do something, stand there”.

Think About It!

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