Just One Decision

“Every moment is a moment of decision, and every moment turns us inexorably in the direction of the rest of our lives.” ― Mary Balogh

One decision can change the outcome.

Just one decision can alter one or many lives.

With that one decision, how will you respond?

The Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League were one yard away from scoring in final minutes of the championship game. Very likely the trophy was on the other side of the goal line. Only three feet to go as the decision came in from the sidelines.

The New England Patriots were defending their stake to claim the trophy. It was a four point game and a touchdown by Seattle would have nearly sealed the game. All seemed potentially lost and then one decision changed the entire course.

A decision to throw a pass when running the ball was clearly the high percentage call.

The decision resulted in the opposing team intercepting the football and winning the game.

This time the victory for New England was not a clear victory but a gift handed to them. And this time Seattle clearly outsmarted themselves from victory. But that is what one decision can do in life. That one decision we wish we could change.

All of that is football, a sport, a game played for our entertainment purposes.

Real life decisions are played out everyday. Not only with game deciding decisions but also in the decisions we make regarding family, love, and life. These singular decisions have varied consequence on our lives and of those around us.

One decision can change the outcome.

Just one decision can alter ours or many others lives.

With that one decision, how you respond determines how things move forward.

Good decisions are never fully explored because we move on, happy, content, nothing to cause concern. But a bad decision becomes the central focus of all we do. We go through regret, pain, anger and a host of other emotions. Our lives begin to stall.

There are some people that never recover from the pain or consequence of a bad decision. They have no capacity or will to move beyond and turn the decision back into something positive in their life. They are forever stuck in the mud unable to bring themselves out of it.

When a decision is made, good or bad, where you find yourself is not an endpoint but a new starting point towards your goals. It is a launch pad where you stand, with new knowledge that will bring you closer to your target.

One decision can change things but one decision can also be the greatest thing in your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Just One Thing

“Give freely to the world these gifts of love and compassion. Do not concern yourself with how much you receive in return, just know in your heart it will be returned.” ― Steve Maraboli


Think of one thing you can do.

Just one thing you can do that makes a difference for someone else.

What one thing do you have inside that will create that difference?

Just one thing.


Stay inspired my friends!

One Thing To Do

“The reality is that doing good unto others actually does more good for you.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

It is cold in Boston this particular morning as I start my rental car. The dashboard reveals a single and solitary digit of 1 degree Fahrenheit. Yes it is cold, but that one digit reminds me that each of us should accomplish ONE act of kindness each and every day.

Every day, every moment, we have an opportunity to do, say or attempt at least one good thing. It isn't a difficult task nor does it require intense planning. All that is required is the desire to leave others with something positive in their own lives.

... a smile ...
... holding open a door ...
... allowing another driver to enter the freeway in front of us ...

Each are small acts of kindness we can perform.

... buying someone a meal ...
... tip the waiter a little more than usual ...
... donating regularly to a charity ...

Each are greater but still easily accomplished acts of goodness.

The one thing you can do each day is to give it from your heart. No matter how small it may seem, when done from the heart it will have a huge impact on others. So create goodness in your daily life by creating one good thing in someone else's life.

Stay inspired my friends.

One Thing

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." ~Albert Camus

Today marks the anniversary of the horrible tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There will be many television programs, news articles, blog posts and most importantly memorials today. I grieved for those affected and are still impacted by that day.

Those people that survived, the loved ones of those that did not and everyone involved, life has carried on for them. Each has found a way to cope, survive and get past the horrors of that day.

But like so many tragic events that have occurred in our history and personal lives, today marks the one thing we as Americans should remember. And that is the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Stay inspired my friends and say a small prayer for the survivors and the loved ones of those lost.

Pay It Forward

"Don't try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough." -Arthur Freed

There was a movie released in the year 2000 that many of you will remember. It was called "Pay It Forward." In this tale, a young boy develops a simple plan to make the world better when a teacher gives an assignment to come up with a project for school. It was a great movie and if you have not seen it, you can get a copy of the movie
(Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment) at Amazon.

The idea of "paying it forward" didn't start with this movie of course. The concept has been around a very long time. If you are not familiar with it, the concept is to simply ask that a good deed be repaid by having it done (something good) to others instead. Even an insurance company began using the concept as a theme for their commercials back in 2006.

"Pay it forward" dates back to 317 BC in Athens, Greece. It was used as a primary part of a play called Dyskolos (translated as "The Grouch"). The play disappeared or was lost either in the archives of history or obscurity. It was rediscovered and described by Benjamin Franklin, in a letter dated April 25, 1784:

"I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money."

The famed Ohio State University football coach, Woody Hayes even spoke of the concept in nearly every speech he made. In the 1986 OSU Commencement speech, he speaks vividly about what it takes to "pay it forward" in life.

In whatever manner you want to view this, I see it as "feeding one" similar to that which Mother Theresa is quoted as saying. If you can not feed a hundred people, feed one and that person will do the same. It doesn't start with the huge and grandiose idea of saving the world in one fell swoop. It starts by saving the world, one-by-one.

Pay it forward in your life whenever a good deed is done for you. Pass it along to others and know that the goodness will come back around to you.

Stay inspired my friends.

One Degree

"It takes only one person with one match to light one candle to fill an entire room with hope." -Joseph Primm

There is a principle called "212" or sometimes "211 to 212". It is a pretty simple concept to grasp and has to do with the boiling point of water. As we all have learned, water reaches a boiling point at 212 degrees Farenheit. It is the point at which water begins to change form.

One degree less and the water is just very hot. Nothing more then that and not at the point at which water is transformed. Water begins to change from a liquid to a vapor. The boiling point creates the ability to sterilize and ward off bacteria. It is a point where everything can change.

But stop short at 211 degrees Farenheit and nothing happens. One degree, one more step, one more person. The principle of 212 means to go that one extra step, to go where change will happen in your life. But I think its significance is in the one degree.

That one degree is you. You can make the difference between nothing and something. You can make the difference that changes everything. You can be that one degree.

One Day - This Week

This week I am on vacation, but sharing some of my favorite posts. I hope that you enjoy these as well.

One Day Like This

It's a happy and merry week of Christmas celebrations. Make all of those days "one day like this" each and every day of the year.