Easy and hard choices

The New Year offers new challenges. And an election year brings challenges that affect our lives and businesses. Business is always uncertain. I have been around too long and have seen so many businesses both old and new rise up and improve, while others have simply deteriorated and disappeared.

I have met young high potential leaders from the earlier days who are now occupying the executive offices of their business corporations and I have also seen the once famous, influential and wealthy personalities forgotten and simply fallen.

I encourage people who are in business to do the following for the New Year:

Choose to focus on the following:

1. Delivering remarkable customer service.

2. Embarking on continuous education and training.

3. Embracing new technology.

4. Cultivating a culture of innovation and creativity.

These are indispensable choices we need for our businesses as well as in our career and profession.

Heed this important principle:

At the end of the day, you are a summary of the choices you make. Not making a choice is a choice in itself.

Some people just sit on the fence and hope that everything will turn out fine. No, it will not.

Others think they have made bad choices because they lacked confidence. Not necessarily.

The truth is that they lack the confidence because they have made bad choices or sat around too long and refused to do anything at all.

The people who work with me know this. My family knows this. I hate procrastination. I would rather make an erroneous choice right now then rectify the situation later and learn something, than wait and make a decision when the right one no longer matters.

Here is a warning about making choices. People often make choices based on what’s easy and not based on what’s right. They chose to give in, give up or give out instead of doing what will be best for them in the long run.

Consider the following:

• It’s easier to eat than to lose weight.

• It’s easier to sit than to exercise.

• It’s easier to ignore bad behavior than to confront the issue.

• It’s easier to keep things the way they are than to learn new skills and make necessary changes.

• It’s easier to blame other people than to take a close look at yourself.

But “easy” does not get the job done right.

Here are the choices that involve hard work:

• Investing in training and education.

• Embarking on inspirational leadership.

• Serving the demanding clients.

• Keeping a marriage strong and vibrant.

• Keeping on being productive and keeping a job exciting.

• Living a life that carries purpose and has meaning.

• Keeping a body that is fit, trim and healthy.

• Keeping a mind that is sharp and creative.

It is hard work that gives us the results that will add meaning and value to our lives and businesses.

LET’S FACE IT:

It is hard to do almost anything that will add meaning and value to our lives. Do not make choices based on what is easy and comfortable, but make choices based on the impact that choice will have upon your future.

I look forward to a very exciting year. I will not give up learning. I will do my job better compared to what I have done in the past year.

As what famous writer and speaker Zig Ziglar said, “You don’t pay the price for success; you enjoy the benefits of success. But you actually pay the price for failure.”

(Start the New Year right with Francis Kong learning leadership and life skills as he present Level Up Leadership on Jan. 21-22 at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire at 09158055910 or call 632-6310912 for details.)