Essays: Decide Today To Impact Your Tomorrow

Originally a speech for grade in my Speech & Communications 101 class. Enjoy.

Decisions are made everyday. We make decisions concerning everything, from the trivial to the sublime to the complex. We decide. Today, you decided to come to this class. You decided what clothes you would wear. You may have even decided why you would wear them. We all decided to get up today and join the world. Whether we wanted to or not! We all decided to have breakfast, or not. Simple decisions? Sometimes. But realize this; a simple decision followed through today could impact your today and all of you tomorrows, and the tomorrows of those around you.

            There have been many men and women throughout history that have attained to their mark only by a decision to do or not to do, and then they acted, followed through, on that decision.

            Following through is crucial to decision making. A decision not followed through is like many of us when we were in elementary or high school. Mom would yell to us to get up and get ready for school. We said we would from the comfort of our bed and covers. It wasn’t until Mom reinforced the decision that we followed through with our earlier commitments.

            Following through, a young girl hears what she believes are the words from God. She acts on what she hears. Jeanne d’Arc leads a vast army that unifies France under one king.

            Committed to an earlier sworn oath and following through on that promise, a straight talking politician who for twelve years served under a greater politician inherits a terrible decision. Sacrifice 20,000 plus people in a day for the millions of live that would not be saved otherwise. Harry S. Truman took over that decision upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Truman gave the order and two of Japan’s leading cities were H-bombed. Japan unconditionally surrendered.

            Making a decision, no matter how simple or complex, requires follow through. Learning to decide early in life and following through has been the trademark of people who have impacted society forever.

 

            Two me who impacted the world by their decisions to follow through.

 

            The first came from a broken home. His father died early. This should have made him a failure. He did poorly at school. Nothing was remarkable about him except he decided.

            He decided to become an artist. Not that he was really any good. He just decided this is what he needed to do. He tried to enter a prestigious art school and did not succeed. He decided to still pursue his art career. After nearly starving, he started to work as a propaganda man for a small, obscure “workers’ party.” Their most noted point: they hated communists.

            He rose within this “workers’ party” to eventually be its president. After a brief stint in prison for leading an uprising, he decided to achieve change legally and politically. He proved himself adept at public speaking and manipulating situations to his advantage. He was able to bring his party to national prominence, and in the 1932 elections, he established himself as second only to the president. Through further political maneuverings and the death of the president in 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor, President, and absolute dictator of a unified Germany.

            Deciding early and committing to follow through on his decisions, Adolf Hitler achieved political prominence for himself and his political party. His only real problem was he was insane.

 

            Let’s look at someone more sane and a decision maker.

 

            Another tragic beginning. In a land dispute, his father moved to occupy the land and develop it. The land was wild and lacked every amenity. He was born in a log cabin. He was raised on the farm. He said of himself, “I went to school by littles. A little here, a little there.” His mother died early and his father remarried. His family was poor, and he lacked the ability to gain an education. He should have failed or become no one important. But, he had a desire to know and he decided to do something about that.

            He went to school all that he was able, which wasn’t much. He did discover that he had neighbors who had books. He would walk miles just to borrow a book to read. He decided and he followed through on his decisions to know.

            Through his early career, he sought ways to educate himself. Enough so that he was able to work as a storekeeper, a postmaster, and even a surveyor. He became a respected member of his community. He was elected Captain of his local reserve infantry group during a local war.

            He came to a career decision. He chose between blacksmithing, profitable in his day, or law. He chose law. After teaching himself law, he passed the BAR in ’36. He became a quite profitable lawyer and politician. Re-elected to state assembly several times, Abraham Lincoln would later make great political change in trying times. A decision-maker, hard decisions.

 

            Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler are two classic examples of decision-makers who made decisions and followed through with them. These are two men who early in their lives decided to make changes and follow through. In Hitler’s case, remember that you can learn something good from every example, even a bad one. Decisions made today will impact tomorrow. Just decide and impact it. Follow through with your decisions. Put some feet to your promises. You can do anything you put your mind to do, if you will just put your mind to do it and do it.

 

Reviews

[Robert Luna]

The structure was great for the piece made great points within it. It kind of read more as a lecture, something that someone would say as a speaker in a class or a speaking engagement. If I heard someone telling me this I would listen and would be fully attentive to every word. But as I read it my mind wondered off a few times. I like the piece itself and was written great but it did not keep my attention but I am Mr. A.D.D. so may have something to do with it to.

Great Write.