Having spoken about instant gratification and largely focusing on the negative effects and behaviours it can cause, it is important not to forget the positive things which have developed in tandem with the social media revolution, one of which, is opportunity.
Opportunity is everywhere and the way technology has changed our world means that there are more ways to do more things and reach more people than ever before. We can debate endlessly whether this in itself is a good thing or if it opens up too many people to false hope, whether opportunities are fairly portrayed or whether they are part of a shallower hunt for instant gratification but one thing is for sure, opportunity is far more readily available and this can definitely be a good thing.
The point of this blog though? To get you to think about the decisions you make and consider how just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Opportunity, a world which encourages belief in yourself and endless platforms to learn from and market through are all fantastic but they can encourage a selfishness which ultimately will come back to bite you should you allow reckless decision making.
With an abundance of opportunity, we have to make sure that our decision-making abilities don’t suffer as we pursue a short-term goal. We, in the main, live in a society where we have structure. We understand why there are restrictions, guidelines and controls on what we do and how we do it. A simple example could be theft. We could walk into a shop and simply take what we wanted. In general we don’t because we understand the risk to ourselves (based on the rules of the society we are in) and we also understand the position of the other people involved. The shopkeeper can’t provide the things you need if you steal from them. Chances are if you are reading this, you are keen to or already have your own business. If all your potential customers stole what you had on offer, your business wouldn’t get very far!
Using theft as an example is potentially an over simplification but my point is that in the pursuit of opportunity we must refrain from getting carried away. We must have a moral code, some guiding principles with which we make our business decisions – the same as we do with our societal decisions.
Don’t make a decision with short-term success in sight. Don’t cut someone off to get ahead. That specific instance might never come back to bite you but you can rest assured, something will and more than this, a company, a life or a relationship built on doing the best thing and not simply what was an opportunity at the time will be far more successful, sustainable and attractive.
How can you sense-check the decisions you’re making? How do you make sure you aren’t getting carried away and rushing something? The key is to start small. Look at the way in which you make regular, everyday decisions and add a different perspective. Look back at my blog on empathy and see if you can look at your decisions from a different angle. Think of a car pulling out of a junction. Rather than looking to see whether you can get out in front of the next car, look to see what’s happening behind that car. Rather than wheel-spinning out of the junction simply to join the back of a traffic jam, take your time, pull out behind the car and use the time to spot an alternative route that avoids the traffic jam altogether. In a world filled with opportunity, don’t be fooled into following the same one as everyone else – there is plenty to go around!
Being calm in your decision-making is always a blessing. Sometimes it is hard to see people snatching at opportunity and seemingly achieving success. Don’t be afraid to use your moral compass to guide you, take the steadier path for a stronger outcome and be prepared to hold yourself to a higher standard.
#communication_is_king #understanding_is_everything
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