I’m No Mother Teresa, Ghandi, or Dali Lama

I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you that I am any kind of saint. Yes, there are times that I do or say things that could be construed as morally bad. I mentioned this in the introduction of my book No Law. I listen to music that has somewhat questionable content. I like to drink beer, and more often than not, more than one. I have a tendency to cuss like a sailor. When I think of moral goodness, up at the top of the list to me are individuals like Jesus, Mother Teresa, Ghandi, and the Dali Lama. The choice really is mine. I can choose to live more like them, but then my actions have to match what I’m saying for the choice that I have made.

If you want to develop moral goodness, identify with people that you associate with moral goodness.

Choose to be Morally Good

Some people seem to have this down, and others not so much. Why is that? Well, it starts with a conscious choice to “be good.” We all have the choice as to whether we are going to eat the candy when mom turns her back. We all have the choice as to whether we are going to tell her when she returns. And the candy probably tasted good when you first put it into your mouth, but after you ate it and heard her coming back into the kitchen and you started planning your reply, it probably didn’t make you feel very good, did it? That is your conscience at work. That is when you definitely know the difference between goodness, and badness. The choice is yours to make, but to achieve moral goodness, you have to make that decision and live by it.

If you want to develop goodness, choose to be morally good.

The Devil Made Me Do It

Ever indulge in something? Eat too much Thanksgiving dinner? I’m sure everyone can confess to that, am I right? The devil made you do it, right? Probably. Actually, there is some truth to that. The devil is the one that tempts us. Tells us that lie that it will make us feel better. But truth be told, the devil doesn’t really have to work to hard at tempting us. The thing about self-control is, it is mostly our choice. We can choose not to have seconds on Thanksgiving (or in my case thirds or fourths).

Please don’t get me wrong: if you are dealing with addiction, please get help today. Battling addiction requires medical and psychological treatment. Please choose to get help today.

If you want to develop self-control, realize that it is a choice.

Everyone Thinks I’m a Patient Guy

If you were to watch how I interact with some of the kids that I coach in sports, you would probably think that I am a pretty patient guy. When I am teaching kids how to play a sport or perform a skill, I understand that everybody learns differently, and at different speeds. For many, this may be their first time to have ever been taught this skill. This understanding allows me to give them a little grace and know that I can slow down to help them understand.

Catch me at a time when I am having to explain to my children for what seems like the twentieth time how to sort laundry, and I don’t seem so patient anymore.

What is the difference for me in the two interactions above?

Choice. I have to choose when and with whom to be patient.

If you want to develop patience, choose to be patient.

We All Have Choices

I hope something about my book, No Law, has convinced you to make a choice to pick it up and read it. The key is: you make the choice. The principles that I describe in the book are all about choice. You get to choose whether or not you adopt the No Law principles. You get to decide how you adopt the No Law principles. We all have it within ourselves, but we must choose to do something about it.