Novemeber 25th, 2019
Perth Amboy Raritan Bay, NJ
People that know me will tell you that this is my favorite word. The word "choice" pervades everything around us. Did you go left or right? Did you sleep in or get up and seize the day? Did you act in a kind way or not? There is always a choice even when you think that there is not. On that note and with great pleasure, I will share a link to Jeff Bezos' 2010 commencement speech at Princeton University.
Having not heard of nor read the speech until today, I was thrilled with it's content.
Here is a snippet: "What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy -- they're given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you're not careful, and if you do, it'll probably be to the detriment of your choices."
Well said.
I marvel at how many people waste their gifts because of poor choices. You go through the stages of grief watching loved ones and friends waste their gifts. As we age, we accept more. When we are young, the world is often more black and white about choice. Then it becomes grey. Finally, it becomes mud brown as we realize that their is no black and white. There is just choice, direction, work, choice again, direction again and work again.
Hopefully, the choices are most often aligned with the chosen work and the greater good.
Dr. M
