Decisions are the catalyst behind the direction of our lives. We can make decisions we are proud of that move our lives in a positive direction, or we can make decisions that move our lives in a negative direction. Our decisions won't just affect us, but they will also have an effect on other people in our lives. The best way I can showcase the importance of our decision-making is through the abrupt closure of a business.

I was in a Juvenile Detention Center conducting my personal development workshop. I asked the guys if any of them would like to stand in front of their peers and share a moment that they acted off an emotional impulse. 

One of the teens, who we will name Cedric, was 15 years old with brown skin raised his hand and said "I'll like to share." "Come up and share Cedric." "I moved to the side and let Cedric stand in the middle of the floor, so he could share his experience with 19 of his peers, the guards, and I.

He looked at me and said "Mr. Mosley, you know why I'm in here?" "No, but you are free to share that if you choose to.” ''I grew up in a single parent home like you and most of you who are locked up in here with me. My neighbor came to my house and yelled at my mama because our dog pooped in her yard. I told my neighbor if she ever disrespected my mama again, I would deal with her." "So you threaten her?" "Yes, I did.” “Did you do anything else?”  

He smirked and said “Yes I did. You see, my dog ended up pooping in her yard again and once again she came to my house and yelled at my mama. The lady didn't listen to me, so I decided..." "You decided what? What did you do?" "Well that night, I snuck out of the house and got high and drunk with some of my friends. Around 3 am I stole my neighbor's car, drove it to the business she owned, and drove her car through her business. HAHA! BUSINESS CLOSED!" "WHOA!" We all said in unison. 

"Cedric, do you think that was the proper way to handle that situation?" "After getting myself locked up in here I have to say no. I acted off my emotional impulse, and it was the wrong thing to do." "So do you have an Empty Closet Moment™ that inspired that behavior?" "Actually I do. When I was a kid, I used to watch my daddy beat up my mama and I was too small to protect her. This made me feel worthless, so I promised myself when I got big enough, I would protect my mama no matter what. So when my neighbor disrespected my mama, it reminded me of my daddy disrespecting her, so I acted off my emotional impulse to protect her." 

"Now you understand the effects of your Empty Closet Moment and how it can lead you to acting off emotional impulse. How would you handle that situation differently?"

"First, I wouldn’t have made a choice while under the influence of drugs, so I could have thought about my decision logically instead of emotionally. Had I done so, the decision I would have made would have been different. I would have chosen to ignore the lady like my mama did. I would also have spent more time with my dog to keep him from going into her yard. Then she wouldn't have had a reason to head over to our house and complain. Making these logical decisions would be hard, but they would be easier than seeing my mama disappointed because I made an emotional decision that got me in here."

Cedric became aware of the side effects of making an emotional decision. He evaluated his decision logically, which led him to come up with a plan to make an alternative decision if confronted with a similar situation in the future. Acknowledging how his Empty Closet Moment™ and his drug use contributed to his emotional decision, illustrated that he was aware of his areas of improvement. This is a great opportunity for you to work on an area that you need improvement by writing down a moment that you chose to act off an emotional impulse. This will also give you a chance to acknowledge how your Empty Closet Moment and other factors contributed to your decision.

Controlling our emotions in difficult situations is very challenging. But it's a necessity if you want to achieve your goals and dreams. So take on the challenge of getting in control of your emotions so that your emotions don't control you because You Are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!

P.S. If you feel you have stories in your life that can be converted into positive life lessons that will allow you to have an impact in people's lives. And you would like help extracting those lessons from your stories and crafting them so they have the maximum impact. Send me an email or text 512-298-4217 so we can discuss my inGENious Storytelling program, which is designed to help people, like you, craft stories from your life experiences, that you can use as book chapters, blogs, articles, or your own videos.