It happens so fast. I don’t…um…Gasp…what just happened? It’s that one second that split second that seems to be so prominent in everything we do. If you look close enough you will see that it is what dominates your life. Good or Bad…..that is for you to decide. Don’t be fooled though…most of the time it is in your control. When you find something is not in your control it is likely coming from someone that has made an irresponsible split second choice. You have amazing powers. Remember that young gun!

Life is full of choices. There are those that we make that have immediate direct consequences and then there are those that have the future unforeseen outcomes. Amazingly enough we have so much more power over our outcomes than we like to acknowledge. As a lazy society we like to claim that things are out of our own control freeing us from the responsibilities that come before certain outcomes. It’s such a cop out. When you allow for that lazy attitude I promise you are hurting someone else. Be careful about being so selfish.

Let me try to unravel this a bit and have it make sense. I promise I have a point here ☺! Everything you do affects this world whether you like to think that or not.

Example: I was driving to my pal’s house the other day to feed the dogs as he is out of town. All of the sudden a car nails me in the back right side tire and panel. I get knocked into the oncoming traffic lane and for that second that seemed to last a lifetime my body is in a total alert state of adrenaline and wonder. I am able to swerve my way out of the line of traffic but only because those coming at me were alert enough to hit their brakes and swerve in unison as to avoid me and each other. It was actually amazing and kind of weird that I can see it happening as I type…..very vivid. You see the car that hit me was trying to pull out from McDonald’s and pull across two lanes to go the other way in the middle of morning rush hour. I did not ever see him. The split second when he decided to chance going across a lane where he could not see was one that could have cost a few people their lives. The driver at some point made a decision that he thought would only affect him. That split second was lazy, as he did not realize that he was in reality jeopardizing several others. In the end outside of a damaged car all was ok. I wonder what other decisions were made that morning that kept me in safety. Perhaps the two people that were coming at me in the other lane where the two people that chose to get a good night sleep and their significant others had made them breakfast and a good cup of coffee that AM as they were both fast to react and quick in their senses. What is my life owed to? It could have been that someone’s significant other simply told the other I love you and put them in a good state instead of a state that did not allow them to sleep well and thus become slower in their reaction time in the morning. Far-fetched and dramatic you say! Well, in reality it is not. The choices you make affect others at all times and quite often in ways that you never see or realize.

None of us are perfect and we certainly all make mistakes. The guy that hit me was a nice young man who certainly felt bad and had no ill intention. I thought about it and did not call the police to file a report, as he would have then gotten an expensive ticket. He is a hard working cook who genuinely did not mean to harm anyone in my mind. He asked if I would trust in him and just talk to his insurance agent as he really could not afford a ticket and he would acknowledged guilt on the phone to the rep. My agency said to call the cops and file the report but it was not mandatory. I opted not to in hopes of saving the guy some stress and some money. Hey, maybe that will make for a better day for him. He may be the person that starts the chain that saves your life tomorrow. Hopefully it is just another form of paying it forward. I could get burned I suppose with the claim but that won’t kill me. It is hard to do so sometimes, but I like to still think that I can believe in people. It let’s me live a healthier trusting life. Naïve maybe? Oh well. I sleep better being able to believe in people. It takes a stress away.

I won’t ramble and I am not trying to be super philosophical Mr. W, but I will say that I have always been, and am even more so today, a believer in being careful about being lazy in my decision making process. As caring human beings I think we have a silent responsibility for trying to take care of each other in some form. So be careful to think it is all about you when making a decision. Likely you could change someone’s life with such a split second choice. You are that powerful.

To Your Continued Success
Young Guns Always Wanted
Wesley Anderson