Over
the past 28 years, if I have told my students once, I have told them a
thousand times...“The choices you make today will have a profound
impact on the choices you will be able to make tomorrow. So make wise
choices today.” There are many pieces of advice that adults give to
children and other adults, but to me, this is one of the most important.
Yet it is one that so many of us forget until we suffer the pain and
consequences of our actions at some point in the future.
Recently,
I came across a wonderful article which drives this message home very
effectively. The story is entitled “The Carpenter.”
“An
elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor
of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more
leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss
the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor
was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one
more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said yes, but in time it
was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to
shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate
way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work the
employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the
carpenter.
“This
is your house,” he said. “My gift to you.”
The
carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was
building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.”
A
great story! A great lesson!
We
all build our life one day at a time. Often we make poor decisions or do
things that we regret and then realize that we have to suffer the
consequences of those decisions. We know that if we had it to do all
over again we would, but we can’t turn back the clock. We are forced
to live with our decisions - good or bad. Each and every one of us is a
carpenter, building our own house. The sooner we realize that it is our
house and that we will have to live in it for the rest of our life, the
sooner we will start weighing the consequences of our
“construction”. We will then put our best efforts into the building
so that we will be able to enjoy the comforts and security of these good
decisions and choices. Each day of your life you are hammering nails,
placing boards or erecting walls in your personal “house”. Make sure
that when you are handed the keys to the front door you have no regrets.
Remember,
life is a do-it-yourself project. Your attitudes and the choices you
make today build the “house” you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!
Have
a good week!.
