Ease Up on Making Tough Decisions

-------------------------------------------------------------------- "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." - Theodore Roosevelt --------------------------------------------------------------------

What a difference a year makes! One year ago I was making the decision to launch

Good Words. Like you, I was also figuring out how to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Keeping me and my family healthy was my top concern for months on end.

My two sons are in their early 20s. Last year, they were both making their way through college and work. When it became clear that they would have to face a second semester of college fully remote, they both said "no". As different as they are, they both said almost exactly the same words when they told their dad and I: "I am not going to spend one more semester sitting in my room, behind my laptop, for 6 classes, and have no in-person interactions." For both, one semester off lead to a full year. They worked, made money, observed chaos in motion, and spent more time at home. In other words, they survived and adapted. Making difficult decisions is, of course, part of life, but during a pandemic, our decisions take on significant heft. Work from home or quit your job to provide child care? Take your senior parent out of their retirement community or trust they will be safe? Move out of the city you love to the suburbs? Invest in your business or sell? No matter what we've done in the past year, I do believe that good can come out of making difficult decisions. I've learned: 1. Making them gets easier. 2. Because they are difficult, one tends to put serious thought into them, ensuring the outcome is positive. 3. Learning to ignore "I should do..." and focus on "I want to..." is half the battle. 4. Making hard decisions is the first step. Every single step that follows is implementation! 5. Be kind to yourself. Repeat often.

I hope that as you enjoy the summer months ahead you'll give yourself well-deserved credit for all the difficult decisions you made this past year.

Warm wishes, Sarah