It was a muggy July night in 1958 when I learned my life was about to change in a big way. I was walking back from playing basketball at Brookside Park in Ames, Iowa, and my Dad picked me up.
Three blocks went by in silence. Then, about two blocks from home, my Dad said, “We’re moving to Chicago.” That was it, like he was saying we were having roast beef for dinner.
Now, in my mid-seventies, I look back on some of the huge decisions that altered my life. In the case of moving from Iowa to Chicago, the decision was made by my parents, but it altered my life forevermore. In adulthood, most of the big decisions in my life were made by me, and I reaped the benefits or paid the consequences of my choices.
That got me thinking, so I made a list of the 10 biggest decisions in my life so far. Did I make them, or did someone else? My score so far is seven (me) versus three (others).
Why is this important today? Because my guess is, my life has one or two big decisions coming up. I’d like to be the one who makes them.