Martin Luther King.  Eleanor Roosevelt.  Albert Einstein.  Mother Teresa.  Four people who, in their own space, made important contributions to the world.  They are a diverse bunch.  But what do they have in common besides their greatness?  Each of them made a key decision (or several key decisions) that changed their lives and changed the world.

In his book, “Stepping Up:  Making Decisions that Matter”, Timothy Dobbins states that, each day, each of us is faced with a myriad of decisions.  How we respond to those decision points define the future course of our lives and our part of the world.

According to Dobbins, we most often respond to decision points in our lives in one of five ways:

• We stand still and do nothing. This doesn’t necessarily mean we physically stand still but we stand still by being indifferent to a situation or choosing to not get involved.
• We can step aside and let someone else do it.
• We can step back, often blocking others from taking action or making the right decisions.
• We can step on someone. This often occurs when we take the opportunity to get rid of or remove someone or something that is in the way of our own objectives in life.
• We can step up. We can take a thoughtful approach to the decision-point and make a decision that is right for ourselves, other people, and the world.

Each of the individuals I named stepped up.  They saw a need in the world and made the thoughtful decision to do something about it.  Then, they followed up on that decision and took action.  They didn’t stand still, step aside, step back, or step on.  They stepped up.

What important decisions were you faced with this week?  Was it a decision about your work?  Your kids?  Your family?  Maybe it was a decision about your own life’s purpose.  Or maybe you were faced with an opportunity of some kind.  What did you do with that important decision?  Did you step up?

If you want to step up but, for some reason, fail to do so, find out why.  Why do you stand still?  Why do you step aside or step back?  Are you fearful of taking a stand and making the right decision?  Do you feel you don’t have time?  Do you think someone else will do it?

Imagine life if you and I consciously stepped up to every important decision we faced!  Is it time to start?  For me, I think it is.  Let’s step up together!