Edison’s i-Conflict

Dear lovely people,

Edison was first in the office that morning as usual and stopped by his supervisor’s office to drop the much awaited quarterly report. While there, he saw a total of $500 on the table. He thought of the agonizing problems he was facing at the moment that kept him awake the past few nights: his son was sick, his rents were overdue, his ailing mother needed urgent medical attention and so on. An idea crept into him, checking to make sure nobody was watching, he took along the money and the report her had come to drop. He told himself it was not the best thing to do but faced with his present circumstances, the only way out was to take the money to solve his problems. He convinced himself that it was to help a desperate situation so not too bad after all.

A familiar situation isn’t it? Edison complete forgot that doing what's right versus doing what is convenient may involve choices that only affect you, or those choices may have a broader reach that affects loved ones or even strangers. Making the right choice rather than the convenient one can be tricky because you first have to determine what the right choice is. If you ask yourself “Where in life do I take the easy, quick, or convenient way, rather than to do what is right in my heart?” When honest with yourself, you will see that it happens more than you care to admit. It seems that we are continually in positions that require us to make choices.  Some are almost automatic and others require more thought.

When I think about my life, there were many times that I made convenient choices, which allowed me to stay small and mediocre.  Actually, when I made a habit of these choices, I found that life could be a complete boredom.  I felt empty, alone, and even negative and often, I ended up having to redo what I had done such as mending relationships that I had damaged.

I realized that the more the gap between what is right to do and what you actually do widens, so too your problems increase and the more you distant yourself from fulfilling success. If you want to move towards where you want to be, you need to do what’s right. This is how self-discipline is built. You make time and lay one brick at a time – especially when you don’t feel like it.

It dawned on me that when I am mindful of what is occurring and make right choices that require me to stretch beyond that which I think I am capable, conscious of enhancing my relationships with others, I feel inspired, fortified and positive. Such moments help me to feel victorious in life.  I don’t mean that I win at the expense of others. It does mean that I have encouraged myself to make decisions to enlarge my comfort zone to a new bigger level.  I have swallowed my pride and asked others for their support, and have willingly supported others on their journey.  These are the moments that rejuvenate me and allow me to feel that I am on a good path.

At all times, you must look beyond immediate gratification and see the big picture. Remember: everything we do today affects who we become tomorrow. This is what directly determines the quality of our lives.