Doing The Right Thing
Have you ever worked so hard to impress your boss, only to find that he/she dismissed what you did. And even criticized you for spending too much time on low priority job?
It certainly is upsetting when we choose to work hard to make ourselves look good, and not getting the responses we expect. Likewise, it is difficult to make choices when we are presented with two opposite forces.
There is nothing wrong when we occasionally expect acknowledgment or appreciation as an incentive to do better. Making choices due to fear of missing out (FOMO) or to gain others’ approval, however, often lead to stress and disappointment.
Everything we do in life is a choice. Those choices determine the kind of life that we are going to live. As a result, it is important to make good choices that are aligned with our values and life purpose. In other words, instead of doing something to follow the crowd, we should make choices that feel good, and feel right.
How do we know if we do the right thing?
Our conscience often guides us to know the difference between right and wrong. Doing the right thing also goes hand in hand with being true to our ethical values and principles.
To illustrate this, let’s look at a couple of examples. Let’s say your highest value is spending time with your family. Your boss offer you a promotion with good money but you have to be away from your family for extended period of time. You may crave for a better pay but you know that the money at this point is not worth going against your value, and doing the right thing is to say no to that offer.
Likewise, when you put transparency as one of your principles, you may find it stressful working for a company that has a culture of keeping employees in the dark. You can do the right thing proposing and strategizing more transparent communications, or move to another company that shares similar values.
Life is about making choices. Use your gifts, do your part, do the right thing, and don’t worry what everyone else is doing. And you will uncover the ability to make good choices in all aspects of life.
