Choices and consequences

Let’s talk about choices.

More specifically, let’s talk about what choices lead to.

Choices lead to consequences. Some are intended and some are unintended.

I make a choice to sleep in a little longer than I had planned. I made the choice with the intended consequence of knowing that I’d have less time to get out the door and might be pushing it to get to work or school on time. But because I was late, I got stopped at a train crossing and ended up being quite a bit later than I had expected. That’s the unintended consequence.

The reason it’s important to recognize the difference is because I can’t play the victim even to the unintended consequence because I made the choice that led to it. Had I chosen not to hit the snooze button 5 times, I wouldn’t have gotten stuck waiting on the train.

People choose to spend their money on a spontaneous weekend beach trip (which, for the record, is a GREAT choice!). The intended consequence is that they got away, relaxed, and also decreased their financial margin and need to live a little tighter until their rent is due the next week. What they couldn’t have expected was that their dishwasher would spring a leak between the trip and the rent payment, and the unintended consequence of their beach trip is that they don’t have the funds to do both.

My point isn’t for all of us to live fearing bad things or to try to plan for every possible outcome. That’s impossible. My point is that most people live as victims when it comes to unintended consequences instead of taking personal responsibility for the choices they made that could have set the stage for them.

I think there is wisdom in considering both the intended and the unintended consequences when we’re making choices.

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