Winning Words 2/4/11
“You have 100% control over your actions and zero control over the consequences.” (Roland Ware) These words cause me to stop and think. I believe that one of God’s great gifts to us is, Free Will. Some predestinarians might disagree, but I’ll let it go at that. I do think that we can agree on the fact, that what we do (or don’t do) can affect what our future will be like. So, be careful today! ;-) Jack

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: This is something that has been occupying my mind because I see how easy it is to become suspicious of people and then stereotype whole groups when people start bending or distorting truth when they are feeling like they are in a desparate situation. This can happen with people of wealth who are afraid of losing their power and wealth and it can happen with people in poverty when they think no one will respond to their needs if they do ask for help for what they truly need so they ask for something else they think people will be more sympathetic for and it happens with people in the middle too. I count myself in the middle right now and need really every day to try to be truthful--practice so if I get wealth I will be secure in practice of being truthful and if I suddenly plunge into poverty, will also have had practice in being truthful. But also I realize the need to steer away from stereotyping people and start every day with a fresh slate of trying to take people at face value and hopefully the consequences of the day's actions all around will be more constructive. Is this trying to control consequences or is it trying to live honestly in the midst of all of them?
FROM JACK: "Zero control over consequences," so don't try to drive from the backseat.

FROM A BUSY MOM IN CALIFORNIA: Hi Jack, I read your winning words EVERY day and save several to
review them! I've been really busy.

FROM RB IN MICHIGAN: I certainly needed those words today!! FROM JACK: I write for myself as well as for others. Many of us seem to be on the same track.

FROM RI IN BOSTON: Ware's words express something I haven't considered before and they cause me to think. So the actions we take have consequences (perhaps immediate...perhaps far off) which we don't control. Is our death then the ultimate consequence of the choices we made in life (the food we ate, our physical activities, the risks we took, etc.)? If that's the case then each of us actually is responsible for our moment of death...right? By our actions we "scheduled" our exit from life. It really isn't God "flipping the switch that turns out our lights" at that specific moment. Such thinking shatters a common traditional perception. FROM JACK: It's such a simple truth. Every action causes a reaction. To deal with the reaction requires another action...ad infinitum.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: As I watch my husband's car get towed away, I was reading this quote. And as I
watched the car get towed away (he went through deep snow in our cul du sac and something got knocked off the bottom of his car), I was thinking....well, there goes the plans for my day. He had to take my car to work. In some ways we can control our actions. But I would change the quote to say "You have 100% control over your reactions and zero control over the consequences." FROM JACK: Why do I blame the snow when my car gets stuck in the drift? We do it all the time.

FROM IE IN MICHIGAN: I think it's important to be careful every day if you indeed want to succeed & make a change in the world. FROM JACK: One of the first warnings I can remember hearing from my parents was, "Be careful." Now, I hear it from you. When will we ever learn?

FROM CJL IN OHIO: And that includes your reaction to the things that happen to you... FROM JACK: To take action to control our reaction is easier said than done.

FROM MOLINER CF: This one is above my job level. FROM JACK: ...and just what is your job?

FROM BLAZING OAKS: That one is thought-provoking...ZERO control over the consequences?! I guess he is right, as the consequences involve OTHER person's reactions to what we do! I'd guess we've all been surprised more than once, about where our actions led, or the results of out actions. We get more thoughtful, or cautious as we age, having learned some lessons along the way. The future seems pretty close at hand, to us Octogenarians! Have a good day!! FROM JACK: I remember singing a song in Sunday School..."O, that the Lord would guide my ways..." While we do have responsibility for our actions, God gives us a nudge once in a while.

FROM NK IN WISCONSIN: I'll keep this one in mind FROM JACK: This is true with life in general. Just do your best, and let God do the rest.