When doing the right thing ain’t enough…

There is always a constant struggle between right and wrong, human tends to get confused at times when making a decision due to many factors like emotions, environments, peer pressures etc. A more disciplined group of people will always train their heart and mind to follow a certain pattern of behavior that they are very comfortable with whilst another group of people will seek for opinions/advice and consent before making that move.

As they always said, “Always do the right thing”. Always do what is right, always follow what majority will deem as right or always make that decision where your conscience is clear.

I would like to drill down a little deeper.

We operate in an environment where we are surrounded by 3 key influences; people, culture and society. Our decisions and beliefs are indirectly conditioned by these. When we are in a country that believes in human rights and freedom, our decisions and beliefs are conditioned by it. When we are in a religious environment that teaches good and evil and believes in the Higher Power, our decisions and beliefs will be conditioned by it too.

Therefore, the career we choose, the life partner that we decided to commit or the lifestyle that we want, indirectly being encapsulated by this environment that we lives in. People, Culture and Society indirectly grab a hold of our life, telling us what is the right thing to do.  Peer pressures set in, people’s opinions set in and rules set in. You will think you had made the right move, afterall everybody around you is approving of your decision, giving their thumbs up to the decisions you made.

But give it another 5 years, 10 years or 20 years, you see people starting to change their career, from a corporate executive to a food stall owner. Some started to find incompatibility in their spouse and divorce seems like the only way out. There will be also this group of people who will tell you they are going to make a drastic change in their life. Some decided not to believe in the Higher Power where they used to be comfortable in and choose to go their own separate way.

Ever wonder why?

Doing the right thing is good, but not enough. It requires something else, something more concrete that can anchored your decision into the rock of foundation.

It requires your TOTAL conviction..from your heart.

To be totally convinced and convicted yourself that you believe strongly in this and not others, not what the environment think is right and definitely not what seems right.

Like they always said, “It has to come from within”. That is why it is so difficult to teach people to have a change of heart, a change of mindset. People can tell you what is the right thing to do, but ultimately it has to be based on your conviction and your heart to make that decision. Else that move that you made might not lasts.

It takes your skills/talents to reach to the top, it takes your character to sustain it there. It takes only a moment to pen down the marriage certificate, it takes your convicted heart and your whole commitment to make that marriage lasts.  It takes not much effort to be in church with a group of friends socializing together every weekend, it takes your convicted heart and your life commitment to follow Him and not plain wasting time.

So start strengthening your character and seek to have a change of heart, in preparation for the cross junction ahead where you need to make that decision, the right one… 

Junction of mixed feeling

Many had encountered that. Many dealt with that before. You want to plunge straight into the emotional whirlpool from the news that you had received, yet you can’t because the other part of the news suggested you otherwise.

Welcome to the world of mixed feeling..

A loyal employee who stayed with the company for more than 15 years finally been headhunted for a new job that offers twice his wages.

A soon-to-be father who had discovered the death of his unborn child but doctor managed to save the mother’s life from a major complication procedure.

A local well-liked person had received an attractive offer to work overseas which need him to uproot himself away from his friends and the comfort that he had lived in.

You want to react. You want to cry. You want to be happy. But all of the sudden, you do not know how to response. Your emotions, at this point of time, do not overtake you. They are lost. They need a direction.

Lower degree of mixed feeling suggested many to swing their emotions to and fro. At a higher degree, many simply do not know how to react.

When this happens, something else takes over.

Your understanding that the story of your life needs some turning points in order to reach the ending.

Your maturity in knowing that something bigger is setting you up to the destiny you are called to be.

And your heart will know that the changes is for the better.

So when you are at the junction of mixed feeling, stay calm, do not react. Smell the morning dew and continue to enjoy the journey ride that your life is offering to you.