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The fall semester of a college-bound, high school student’s senior year is filled with many decisions about his/her next chapter. One of these is whether or not to select “early decision” for a given college. “Early decision” means that you have decided in advance to commit to that University if they choose you and thereby withdraw your application from all others.
I recently attended a session to help students prepare for college, and more importantly, for life. The presenter encouraged students to make early decisions about many things going forward, not just the university they choose. Some of these areas included, making early decisions about:
- The vision that you have for your future and what it will take to realize your vision and
- How you will handle difficult decisions.
Since these choices lie ahead for each of us, making early decisions now, can make the journey much easier by:
- Removing the stress and pressure of making decisions “in the moment”
- Being comfortable that your decisions are aligned with your values and vision for your life.
- Ensuring clear thinking about consequences of decisions -good or bad.
These early decisions increase the likelihood that you will reach your desired destination.
Oddly enough, to this day, I honor two early decisions that I made in the third grade: not to drink coffee or smoke cigarettes. I did not like the smell of the combination of coffee and smoke, so I decided to avoid these many years before they were even an option for me. That commitment made it so easy to deny both coffee and cigarettes for my entire life. This early decision provided freedom for me and required little thought or energy at future decision points.
In which areas of your life you can make early decisions? Your values, your savings, your relationships, your faith, your education, your health, your career, your legacy?
Early decisions can help pave the road to your desired future whether you are in third grade, a senior in high school, middle age or a senior citizen. It’s never too late to be early in your decisions.
Spend some time this weekend to think about your future. Make an early decision today to pave a smoother path for tomorrow.