I had a professor at Cal State Fullerton several years ago when I was getting my Master’s degree who used to say…
“People tend to do what they want to do.”
What he meant was that many times, people will have an excuse for not doing something, like I should exercise more, or I should eat better, when in reality it is truly because they don’t want to do those things. This particular professor challenged us to take responsibility for our actions and not make excuses.
When I first heard those words I had to really reflect on why I did or didn’t do certain things. I didn’t exercise because I chose not to set aside the time to do it. Instead of saying I didn’t have time to do something; I was actually choosing not to do it.
It made me think about what I want to be known as. The scholar, Aristotle, once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
If we want to be known as a person of honor, we need to act as an honorable person. If we want to be known as a respectful person, we need to show others respect in all situations. As Aristotle said, if you want to be a person that strives for excellence, then you need to have that approach in everything you do. What we tend to do, that defines our character.
Former New York Governor, Mario Cuomo said, “Every time I've done something that doesn't feel right, it's ended up not being right.” God has given each of us a conscience, and we would be better off at times if we listened to that inner voice and made our decisions accordingly.
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