How many decisions does the average person make each day? 10? 100? 1,000? About 4,000. Whether we are making decisions about what to wear, eat, or when to do our homework we are constantly making subconscious, habitual, or decisions. It’s important we make good decisions for our health, safety, and futures. Even more important is all the little decisions we make everyday. The habit of making good small decisions eventually lead to making bigger decisions like college, career, or who to marry!

When I was in High School, I made a lot of decisions. One time I went to the lake with a bunch of friends and their were some cute girls there with us. One in particular, I had the hot’s for and so I decided to try to impress her by jumping off this rock, head first! I thought I gauged the distance well enough but when I jumped in I just barely sliced the left side of my stomach on a pointy edge of a rock. Cut up the side and blood was everywhere.

Another time I was driving some of my buddies back from Chipotle. It had just rained and the road was slippery. I told my buddies, “Tail Whip!” Buckle up and watch this. I hit the gas, turned the wheel, and hit the brake. If you’ve seen fast and furious… I was basically trying to drift. The car spun out of control and I tried to over correct it but ended up driving through a fence.

Finally, it was summer school in between junior and senior year. I really didn’t want to be there so I sat in the back of the class. I was leaning in my chair and then fell back. Put my arm down to save the fall but ended up snapping my left forearm and breaking it in half.

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

So what’s the lesson? The lesson here is what people forget and what people never forget. Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how made them feel.”

What do I mean? I went to my 10 year high school reunion this past summer. I was standing next to my friend Katie and all of a sudden this guy started coming towards and said, “Hi Katie.” He continued, “Katie can I tell you something?” Ever have that feeling where you can tell something is going to be serious? I started to slowly slide to the left, to the left, to the left. I was just far enough to where I could still over here the conversation. The guy who I think I never met before said, “Katie, I came to our 10 year high school reunion for one reason. That was to tell you thank you. Thank you because you were the only person in High School who was ever nice to me. You have no idea how much that meant to me so I wanted to tell you.”

People forget you broke your arm but they never forget how you made them feel.

Who will you be this year? Will you be the kind of person who opens doors for others and shows respect for others around you? Will you be the type of person who cares about others? When you are at games and hear someone “booing,” will you be the person that says, “Hey! We don’t do that here.” Or will you be the person who does nothing, ignores it?

How will you influence the right stuff?

A friend shared this story one time. He asked me, “How much does a snowflake weigh?” So I ask you, “How much does a snowflake weigh?” Honestly, I’m not sure but it doesn’t weigh much. Imagine 4,000 snowflakes a day. 4,000 snowflakes each day for a week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks… The snowflakes add up on the branch of a tree. If the sun shine doesn’t come to melt them away the snow packs to a point where it can break off limbs of the tree.

What’s the lesson? Snowflakes are decisions. If we make all the right small decisions it can lead us towards good stuff but if we are constantly making decisions to talk behind backs and post disrespectful stuff online those limbs… those relationships, that education, your attitude begins to effect other parts of life.