The right thing

Today is President’s Day. A day that celebrates our late presidents George Washington (born on February 22) and Abraham Lincoln (born on February 12).

When I was a child, I was told a story from George Washington’s childhood. The story is about 6-year old George chopping down a Cherry Tree. His father becomes upset that the tree was cut down. George confesses to his dad that he was the one who chopped down the tree. Following the confession, George’s father embraces him and praises him for his honesty.

Like many stories, this was made up to sell books. Regardless of whether the story actually happened, it’s message is clear. Do the right thing.

While there are occasions where we are in a moral dilemma and genuinely conflicted about the right thing to do, 99% of the time we know the right thing. We simply need the courage to do it.

As the late Robert H. Schuller said, “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”

Doing the right thing can mean different things to different people. Values, experiences and situations impact what we consider the right thing. Still, we mostly know what is right, it comes down to whether we do it.

This week and always, lets do the right thing.

3 ways to consider the right thing.

1. ls this right or is this convenient? Considering whether our plans are right or easy can help us to understand if we are actually doing what is best.

2. Doing the right thing rewards us: The rewards may be non-obvious or delayed. Still, the universe tends to offer rewards for doing the right thing.

3. We feel better when we do what is right: Even without a reward, we benefit from doing the right thing. Doing the right thing builds our confidence, increases our self respect and helps us to sleep better. By doing what is right, we keep a peaceful conscious so that we feel comfortable with ourselves.

Thanks for reading. Lets have a great week!