Are we writing in sand?

photo source: Claudine Zap

Last week I read a story of an extremely wealthy Arab sheikh who spent his money having a crew dig  ditches in a sand peninsula so that the ditches would form the letters of his name. Now plenty of us have enjoyed casually drawing our name in the sand, however the difference with this attempt at significance is that the sheikh made sure the ditches were so large that his name could be read from space! To be so rich that you can waste money on digging your name in sand only to be washed away is an absurdity to most.  Having the will and resources to pull off such a task is something that most of us will never have to ponder. However, before we rush to criticize with such impunity, it does beg the question if we are unknowingly spending large amounts of time and treasure in other not-so-obvious activities that are essentially just writing in the sand? 


There are 86,400 seconds in the day for rich and poor alike.  In light of this truth, all of us have an equal opportunity each morning we wake up, which is to decide whether or not to invest our time or spend it. So how do we decipher the between the two with all of the seemingly significant requests for our natural resource? In my opinion, there are 3 levels to decision making that can help us determine its ultimate worth.


Level 1 - Decisions for self
Level 2 - Decisions for self and mission.
Level 3 - Decisions for self, mission, and others. 


Level 1 decisions take into account solely numero uno. This isn't all the way bad, it just takes some moderation. We all need some me time, however me time all the time can get very lonely after a while. Most of the time, level 1 decisions fall into the category of spending time since they can lack a residual benefit after the moment. 


Level 2 decisions pertain to yourself in relation to a greater cause. This could be activities that benefit a business opportunity and or a social goal. A Level 2 decision can have a lasting impact since it will affect yourself in relation to a community. The short-fall for a level 2 decision can be that there must be a significant self-interest in the mission for you to be engaged.


Level 3 decisions take into account yourself, a greater cause, and the impact on others. Level 3 decisions may require some self-sacrifice since the consequences of these decisions will have a ripple effect on others. When it comes to making a level 3 decision, your combined awareness of the mission and others significantly governs the self-serving components to your decision since it can have a lasting residual impact. 


Only three interpretations of decision making may or may not be adequate, however it does give us a matrix to serve as a catalyst for growth when it comes to managing the moments that make up the 86,400 precious seconds we all have. Otherwise, all of our efforts may just be amounting to long play day in the sand. 

Win Today!

Victor