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How to Make Better Decisions Every Day (S5) S30:E3 · Inspirations for Your Life

0:24
Well, hello there, everyone, and welcome once again
0:27
to the Inspirations for Your Life show.
0:30
If this is your very first time joining
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me, I want to take the opportunity to
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personally say thank you, and I want to
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say the words welcome.
0:38
If you've been here one time, five times,
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10 times, 100, or maybe even more than
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that, I'd like to take the time to
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say not only thank you and welcome, but
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I want to say the words welcome back.
0:49
Yes, welcome back.
0:50
Always great to have you here on the
0:53
show with me and learning and soaking up
0:56
some amazing knowledge with it, which I think
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hopefully will make you become a better version
1:01
of yourself.
1:02
All right, guys, so if you're hungry or
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thirsty, feel free to go grab yourself an
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RO water like I have right here.
1:11
And if you have not checked out BelieveMeAchieved
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.com, what are you waiting for?
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Go check that out after the show is
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over.
1:17
Not now, but after the show is over,
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I would encourage you to check that out.
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I think you're going to find some useful
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information, short-form content, long-form content, articles,
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reels, and so much more.
1:30
Without any further ado, guys, let's jump into
1:32
the show.
1:34
All right.
1:34
All right, guys.
1:36
Yes, we have another great master topic this
1:38
week.
1:39
This is the Inspirations for Your Life show,
1:41
the master weekly topic, which we kick off
1:44
on Saturday and we end on Friday.
1:46
It's Series 5, Show 30.
1:49
And actually, this is episode number three.
1:52
The master topic is Building the Habits that
1:54
Shape an Extraordinary Life.
1:56
How to Make Better Decisions Every Day, Series
1:59
5, Show 30, Episode 3.
2:02
Welcome, everyone, to the Inspirations for Your Life,
2:04
ever-popular show.
2:05
I'm John C.
2:06
Morley, serial entrepreneur, in case you guys didn't
2:09
know, marketing specialist, video producer, podcast host, coach,
2:14
keynote speaker, graduate student at Montgomery State University,
2:17
passionate lifelong learner, and grateful now to be
2:20
a published author.
2:22
Welcome once again.
2:23
Every day, we make hundreds of decisions.
2:26
Most seem small and insignificant.
2:28
Yet over time, they determine the direction of
2:31
our lives.
2:32
Success isn't simply the result of talent or
2:35
luck.
2:35
It's often the outcome of making wise choices
2:38
consistently.
2:39
Every decision either moves you closer to your
2:42
goals or pushes you further away.
2:45
The encouraging news is that better decisions are
2:48
a skill anyone can develop.
2:50
Today, I'm going to explore how thoughtful choices
2:53
guided by purpose, experience, and attention will transform
2:57
not only your future, but also the person
2:59
you become along the way.
3:02
Number one, decisions determine direction.
3:05
Your future is shaped by the choices you
3:08
make today.
3:09
Every decision becomes another step toward the life
3:12
you're creating.
3:14
Choose intentionality because direction always matters more than
3:17
speed.
3:20
Think before reacting.
3:21
Quick reactions often produce unnecessary problems.
3:26
Pause, evaluate the situation, and respond thoughtfully.
3:30
A few moments of reflection can prevent hours
3:33
of regret.
3:35
Number three, values guide choices.
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Strong values act like a compass during uncertain
3:42
moments.
3:43
When your decisions align with your principles, you'll
3:46
experience greater confidence and consistency.
3:49
Values simplify difficult choices.
3:52
Number four, wisdom grows through experience.
3:55
Every success and every mistake teaches something valuable.
3:59
Wisdom isn't gained overnight.
4:01
It's developed by paying attention to the lessons
4:03
life provides and applying them moving forward.
4:07
Number five, stay objective.
4:09
Emotions are important, but they should control every
4:13
decision.
4:14
Looking at situations objectively helps you evaluate facts.
4:18
Instead of assumptions, clear thinking produces better outcomes.
4:22
That's the key, guys.
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Number six, gather information.
4:26
Good decisions require good information.
4:29
Take time to understand your options before choosing
4:32
a direction.
4:34
The more informed you become, well, the stronger
4:38
your decisions will be.
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And I think that's a point that a
4:41
lot of people miss in life.
4:42
They don't realize that they have so much
4:44
power, but they get stuck because they don't
4:46
think they can actually do it.
4:48
Number seven, guys.
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You ready for number seven?
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I'm sure you are.
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Avoid emotional decisions.
4:55
Strong emotions can cloud judgment.
4:58
When possible, give yourself time to think before
5:01
making important choices.
5:03
Calm decisions are usually wiser decisions.
5:06
And whether it's somebody at work, and maybe
5:09
you're having to fire somebody, don't do it
5:12
because you're saying you have to.
5:18
And I think a lot of people don't
5:23
understand that.
5:25
They don't understand what that means or why
5:28
this changes our life, but it really does
5:30
change our life.
5:31
Because you see, when we make a decision
5:33
based on emotions, later on we regret it
5:36
because it's not based on the facts or
5:39
on logic.
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It could affect finances.
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It could affect relationships.
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Emotions alone are not what you should use
5:47
to make decisions.
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Number eight, think long-term.
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Temporary comfort often leads to long-term disappointment.
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Instead of asking what's easiest today, ask what
5:57
will benefit you tomorrow.
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Long-term thinking creates lasting success.
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Small choices matter.
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Number nine, life isn't changed only by major
6:06
decisions, guys.
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Small daily choices regarding your time, habits, attitude,
6:11
and relationships gradually shape your future.
6:14
Little decisions often produce the biggest results.
6:18
Number 10, learn from those mistakes.
6:20
Don't keep enlisting the same mistakes over and
6:23
over again and saying, well, gee, why is
6:25
this happening to me?
6:26
I'll tell you why it's happening.
6:27
It's happening because you are, in a way,
6:33
basically not understanding.
6:36
And because you're not understanding, you're going to
6:39
say, gee, this is something that I don't
6:40
know.
6:41
I don't know why this is going on.
6:43
But all I know is it's getting confusing
6:44
for me, right?
6:46
It's getting confusing.
6:47
And if it's getting confusing, you're probably saying,
6:50
well, gee, I don't know how or why
6:51
this is going on that way.
6:53
But it is.
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And I think that's a lot for some
6:57
people to try to, I think some people
6:59
are trying to digest that.
7:00
OK, that can be hard for some people.
7:04
Everyone makes mistakes.
7:05
So learn from them.
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Successful people simply refuse to waste them.
7:09
Every setback provides valuable information that helps you
7:12
make better decisions in the future.
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Number 11, take responsibility.
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Owning your decisions gives you the power to
7:21
improve them.
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Blaming circumstances or other people limits your growth.
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Responsibility creates opportunity for positive changes.
7:29
Positive changes, guys.
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I didn't just say one change.
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I said a positive change.
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And I think knowing what a positive change
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is is something I think that a lot
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of people, they wrestle with that concept.
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They don't know why something is a certain
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way.
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But all they know is that this is
7:47
the way it is now.
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And they can't figure out the difference.
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That's probably something that's very important.
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Number 12, stay intentional.
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Don't allow life to happen by accident.
8:01
Make choices that support your goals instead of
8:03
reacting to every distraction.
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Intentional living creates meaningful progress.
8:09
Number 13, ask better questions.
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The quality of your decisions often depends on
8:15
the quality of questions you ask.
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Challenge assumptions.
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Explore possibilities.
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And remain curious.
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Better questions lead to better answers.
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Number 14, evaluate outcomes.
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After making a decision, reflect on the results.
8:35
Ask yourself what worked well and what could
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improve next time.
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Continuous evaluation strengthens future judgment.
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I think a lot of people don't understand
8:43
that, you know, we have to keep making
8:46
things better and better and better and better.
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But the way to do that is not
8:50
to knock ourselves.
8:50
It's to look at what's working and saying,
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okay, this worked.
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Now, what didn't work?
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And what can I change to make it
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just a little bit better, right?
9:00
Just a tiny bit better.
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I think that's an important thing.
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So what I want to say with this,
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and it's really key, number 15 is choose
9:14
progress.
9:16
See, perfection isn't required for success.
9:18
Choosing steady improvement each day creates lasting momentum.
9:23
Progress builds confidence because every step forward proves
9:26
you're growing.
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Number 16, keep learning, folks.
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Learning doesn't end when school does.
9:33
Every conversation, challenge, success, and failure offers another
9:38
opportunity to grow.
9:39
The more you learn, the better equipped you
9:42
become to make wise decisions.
9:44
A curious mind continues discovering better ways to
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move forward.
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And I think curiosity is something that allows
9:51
us to get where we want to be.
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But sometimes we don't listen to curiosity.
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We're like, okay, hey, this is where we're
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going.
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But I'm not listening.
10:00
I'm not paying attention to it.
10:01
And it's kind of trying to get us
10:02
to learn something.
10:05
And we may not learn all at once,
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but we're gonna be like, wait a minute.
10:08
Now I understand why.
10:11
Or I'm gonna give you guys a perfect
10:12
example.
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The biggest thing I can tell you is
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many years ago, I studied change orders for
10:20
large companies when I was doing contract work
10:23
for them.
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And what I can tell you is that
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I understood them, but I didn't really get
10:31
the whole concept of why they were so
10:33
elaborate.
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And so after being in business and dealing
10:37
with some people and having people very specific
10:41
on things because they're making excuses to why
10:46
they don't want to do something, I decided
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it's time to implement change orders.
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Or in our case, written estimates for every
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phase of the project or every scope.
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If something gets out of scope, no need
11:00
to be nasty.
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Just say, I'll be happy to do that.
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As soon as you sign off on it,
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I'll send you a quotation.
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That's it.
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Number 17, focus on the solutions.
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If you're not part of the solution, guys,
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I'm sorry.
11:13
You're part of the problem.
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Every problem presents a choice.
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You can spend your energy complaining about what's
11:19
wrong or invest your energy finding what's right.
11:22
I'm gonna have some more of this RO
11:22
water.
11:24
Fresh lemon.
11:25
Solution-focused thinking builds momentum because it encourages
11:29
action instead of frustration.
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That's a real big one, isn't it?
11:33
Number 18, stay disciplined.
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Discipline allows you to make good decisions even
11:38
when they're difficult.
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It helps you stay committed to your goals
11:42
instead of giving in to temporary comfort.
11:45
Long-term success is often the reward for
11:48
consistent discipline.
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That's important.
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Number 19, avoid unnecessary distractions.
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Not every opportunity deserves your attention.
11:59
Protect your time by focusing on what truly
12:02
supports your purpose.
12:03
Eliminating distractions creates space for better thinking and
12:07
more meaningful progress.
12:09
It's not a race to get to the
12:11
end, guys.
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But it is an understanding to how we're
12:15
gonna figure out what the next step is.
12:17
And that happens by us, guess what?
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Being aware.
12:22
Being aware is something a lot of people
12:24
don't know how to do.
12:25
And I can tell you that being aware
12:27
is something that many people would say, I
12:30
wish we did it that way.
12:31
I wish we could change.
12:32
And when we can change, I think that's
12:36
when life basically comes in and says, wait
12:38
a minute, this is pretty powerful.
12:40
This is something that we can definitely do.
12:43
And I'll tell you that most people stop
12:47
before they have a chance, okay?
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I think when we get to a point
12:57
and we say to ourselves, why isn't this
12:59
working?
13:01
And usually it's because we're not changing anything.
13:04
We're doing things the exact same way over
13:06
and over and over again.
13:09
And then we say to ourself, well, gee,
13:11
why is it that we're not getting results?
13:14
I'll tell you.
13:16
We're doing what Einstein says, doing the same
13:18
thing over and over again and expecting new
13:19
results.
13:20
Guess what that is?
13:21
That is insanity.
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Yes.
13:24
Doing the same thing over and over again,
13:25
expecting different results, that's insanity.
13:32
And this causes a lot of people to
13:34
think like, well, maybe, but I'm here to
13:39
tell you no, okay?
13:43
And I say that because a lot of
13:48
people out there will give up before they
13:52
even try.
13:54
They'll give up before they even try.
13:55
And that's a problem, right?
13:58
Or they give up because someone else in
14:01
their family or their close friends or a
14:05
mentor says, you can't do that, right?
14:10
We can make things better, guys, but we
14:12
have to start with the belief.
14:14
Number 20, trust your preparation.
14:17
Preparation builds confidence before important decisions ever arrives.
14:21
When you're done, the work gathered information and
14:26
develops your skills, trust, and the effort you've
14:30
invested.
14:31
Confidence grows from preparation, not wishful thinking, guys.
14:35
Number 21, build confidence.
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Confidence develops one decision at a time.
14:40
Every responsible choice you make strengthens your trust
14:43
in yourself.
14:45
As your confidence grows, difficult decisions become easier
14:50
because you've built a history of making thoughtful
14:53
choices.
14:55
And when we think about thoughtful choices, we're
14:57
thinking about things that are good for everyone,
15:00
not just you.
15:02
And that's something that I think a lot
15:04
of people miss is that when we make
15:07
a choice, people say, oh, gee, is it
15:09
good for me?
15:10
That's one thing, right?
15:11
But we want to make sure the choice
15:12
we're doing is actually good for others because
15:15
when we do that, we're going to get
15:17
the support of others.
15:18
And I think that's a real important one.
15:19
Number 22, guys, stay consistent.
15:22
I say consistency and structure yield success.
15:25
One good decision is valuable, but consistent good
15:29
decisions change your life.
15:31
Success isn't determined by occasional excellence.
15:34
It's built through dependable habits repeated every single
15:39
day.
15:40
Number 23, guys, improve your judgment.
15:44
Judgment improves through observation, reflection, and experience.
15:50
Learn to recognize patterns, evaluate outcomes, and think
15:53
critically before acting.
15:55
Better judgment leads to wiser decisions and fewer
15:58
unnecessary mistakes.
16:00
And when you think about that at first,
16:02
you'll be like, oh, John, that's not really
16:04
true.
16:05
But then after you do it over time,
16:07
you're like, wait a minute, this actually makes
16:10
sense.
16:12
And by making sense, you're like, oh, wait
16:14
a minute, now I get it.
16:15
Now I see what I didn't see before,
16:18
okay?
16:20
Now I see what I didn't see before.
16:25
Now I see what I didn't see before.
16:30
And if you can recognize that, you're going
16:32
to say to yourself, wait a minute, I'm
16:35
missing something or I'm doing what's actually blocking
16:40
me from my success.
16:44
Doing something consistent for days gets us to
16:48
think differently.
16:49
The fact of us implementing change orders just
16:52
recently has got me to think in an
16:55
entirely different scale.
16:57
That's important, guys.
17:00
Number 24, learn from others, please.
17:03
You don't have to have the experience.
17:06
Every lesson personally comes from you doing it,
17:11
okay?
17:12
You don't have to have the experience to
17:13
do it.
17:13
Listen to mentors, read books, podcasts, study successful
17:16
people, and remain open to different perspectives.
17:20
Learning from others allows you to grow faster
17:23
and avoid avoidable mistakes.
17:27
And then you're going to say to yourself,
17:28
well, gee, John, this makes a lot of
17:30
sense now.
17:31
All right, if it makes sense, will you
17:33
change what you're doing?
17:35
And you might say to me, gee, John,
17:36
I will, or gee, John, I won't.
17:39
And if the answer is, gee, John, I
17:40
won't, then you're not going to get any
17:42
better in life, okay?
17:45
You're going to keep going the same exact
17:48
way.
17:54
I think that's a very important thing to
17:59
think about, that it's got to be done
18:04
in the meaning it's meant for, okay?
18:14
If we don't do it in that premise,
18:16
we're going to be like, hey, what's going
18:18
on?
18:22
What's going on?
18:31
And that might get you to think.
18:39
It might get you to think, well, maybe
18:41
it's interesting.
18:43
Maybe it's not, but maybe I should change
18:45
something.
18:46
Number 25, guys, think beyond today.
18:49
I know today is here, but you want
18:51
to think beyond it, okay?
19:06
And I think that will get us to
19:09
go the right way.
19:15
And the right way is to help others.
19:18
Today's choices affect tomorrow's opportunities.
19:21
Before making a decision, ask yourself how it
19:24
will impact your future.
19:25
Long-term thinking helps you prioritize what truly
19:27
matters over temporary satisfaction.
19:40
Think about that for a moment.
19:47
What does that mean to you?
19:54
Does it mean anything?
19:58
And maybe that's something that you're saying to
20:00
me, John, it makes sense, but for whatever
20:02
reason, it's not making sense.
20:09
And that could just be because of a
20:12
certain thing you've done, or maybe just a
20:17
certain occurrence.
20:19
Number 26, guys, every decision teaches.
20:21
Some decisions confirm you're on the right path,
20:23
while others reveal areas for need improvement.
20:27
Either way, every choice provides valuable feedback.
20:29
A learning mindset transforms every experience into growth.
20:33
Those that aren't open to learning are destined
20:36
to failure.
20:37
There, I said it, okay?
20:39
Stay humble, stay open.
20:41
Number 27, stay accountable.
20:43
Accountability strengthens character and improves decision-making.
20:47
Own your choices, accept responsibility for the results,
20:49
and commit to improving.
20:51
Honest accountability creates lasting personal growth.
21:00
Number 28, create better habits.
21:02
Better decisions become easier when they're supported by
21:06
better habits.
21:07
Build routines that encourage positive choices and reduce
21:11
unnecessary temptation.
21:13
Strong habits simplify success.
21:16
Number 29, build wisdom.
21:18
Knowledge tells you what is possible.
21:20
Wisdom helps you decide what is best.
21:23
Wisdom grows through experience, reflection, humility, and continuous
21:28
learning.
21:29
It becomes one of life's most valuable assets.
21:33
Number 30, better decisions create better lives.
21:35
Every extraordinary life is built through thousands of
21:38
thoughtful decisions.
21:39
The choices you make today shape your habits,
21:42
and your habits shape your character, and your
21:44
character shapes your future.
21:46
Better decisions don't simply improve your circumstances.
21:49
They transform the person you're becoming.
21:53
As I'm going to get ready to wrap
21:55
up here in a moment, I think these
21:56
are very important things.
22:02
I think by us understanding this, it can
22:06
create a perspective for us, a perspective that's
22:08
pretty neat, right?
22:11
A perspective that might give us a whole
22:13
new...
22:24
I think it makes us really weary sometimes.
22:29
So in closing, guys, every day offers a
22:31
new opportunity to make choices that move your
22:34
life in a positive direction.
22:36
While you can't control every circumstance, you can
22:39
control how you think, how you respond, and
22:41
what actions you take next.
22:44
That's where your greatest power lies, ladies and
22:46
gentlemen.
22:47
Remember that no one makes perfect decisions all
22:49
the time.
22:50
The goal isn't perfection.
22:51
The goal is progress.
22:53
Learn from every experience.
22:54
Remain committed to your values.
22:56
Continue strengthening your judgment, and never stop growing.
23:00
Every thoughtful decision becomes another investment in the
23:04
future you're creating.
23:09
That's powerful.
23:10
I thank you guys for joining me for
23:12
another amazing episode of Inspirations for Your Life.
23:14
In case you didn't know, I'm John C.
23:16
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
23:21
podcast host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student at
23:24
Montclair State University, passionate lifelong learner, and so
23:28
grateful now to be a published author.
23:30
Yes.
23:31
Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, please choose
23:34
your thoughts wisely.
23:35
Make your decisions intentionally.
23:39
And remember that the life you want isn't
23:42
built by chance.
23:43
So many people I know think it's built
23:45
by chance, but it's not, right?
23:52
How do you think it's built?
23:55
How do you think?
24:01
And it's built really, guys, by the choices
24:05
you make every single day.
24:10
Most people think that that one choice doesn't
24:12
matter, okay?
24:14
But it matters a lot.
24:29
I think that's the thing we've got to
24:31
really think about.
24:33
We got to remember that we have to
24:38
keep doing those things day in and day
24:39
out.
24:39
We may not see results, but it's our
24:43
blind faith.
24:45
And faith means that something is going to
24:47
happen.
24:47
You know that you know that you know
24:49
because of a feeling you get, a gut
24:52
sensation.
24:53
And that gut sensation says, wait a minute,
24:55
we're on the right track, right?
24:59
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to invite you
25:01
to keep learning.
25:03
Why do I want to do that?
25:10
I think because I want you to keep
25:12
growing.
25:14
I want you to keep leading yourself forward.
25:21
And we have to encourage ourselves to push
25:23
that envelope just a little bit further.
25:24
Because if we don't, what happens is we
25:28
don't go anywhere.
25:31
And we wonder why we didn't get anywhere.
25:34
Because we're always doing the easy things first.
25:37
We should do the hard things first, and
25:39
then the easier things become actually easier.
25:45
It's a muscle we develop in our mind.
25:50
And you see, this will help you continue
25:53
building the habits that will shape an extraordinary
25:56
life.
25:57
Now, this doesn't happen by you saying, gee,
26:00
I'm going to do something today, and then
26:01
bam, it's done.
26:02
No, this happens from you deciding to be
26:06
an intentional person.
26:09
You deciding to be accountable for who you
26:13
are.
26:14
You deciding to be a person that knows
26:19
there's no limits, there's no bounds.
26:22
If you keep showing up, being consistent, and
26:27
have a structure.
26:32
That sounds easy.
26:34
The concept's easy.
26:36
But doing it's another thing.
26:37
Just like people always say, talk is cheap,
26:44
but not many will take action.
26:49
So as we get ready to finally close
26:50
out the show here, I want you to
26:54
ponder a few things.
26:55
One, I want you to ponder how you
26:57
can make your life better.
27:00
And building the habits that shape an extraordinary
27:04
life is key.
27:07
But today, we talked about how to make
27:09
better decisions every day.
27:10
Making better decisions every day is the key,
27:13
guys.
27:15
It is absolutely the key.
27:19
It's the key.
27:24
And so by us getting into this pattern,
27:30
we'll start to naturally gravitate toward this mindset.
27:35
And when we do that, the mindset's going
27:39
to get our RAAS, or reticular activating system
27:41
in the back, to become hyper aware of
27:48
things that were always there.
27:51
But now, we're not going to miss anything.
27:55
I hope you guys have a great rest
27:56
of your day, a great rest of your
27:57
evening.
27:58
And remember, to have an extraordinary life, it
28:01
starts with being consistent, intentional, structure every day,
28:08
daily, even when you don't feel like it.
28:10
Build that discipline.
28:12
It'll work for you.
28:13
Take care.