STARKVILLE — This past Sunday our church, First Baptist Church of Starkville, hosted the Mississippi State University football team.
Our pastor, Andy Brown, interviewed Coach Tommy Bowden, who was our guest speaker. Of course, they began talking about football stories from the legendary Bowden family. Sometime during the interview, Coach Bowden began talking about the importance of making good decisions.
Everybody knows about bad decisions, and Bowden recounted some more or less recent poor decisions within the college football community and how much they had cost players and coaches. Then he gave criteria he uses to guide himself when making decisions: discipline, commitment, accountability, responsibility and sacrifice.
We’re beginning a new year at MSU and the signs are all around us. A lot of decisions have already gone into students’ choosing to come here. The first few weeks of classes are critical for students to lay a solid foundation for succeeding over the long run.
Transitioning into any new phase of life is easier when we consider our decisions carefully. Time management is likely the biggest challenge for college students. Good routines or habits lead to good results. Sleeping late or pursuing new activities and interests at the expense of studying are not academically productive. Students who can discipline themselves into developing academically productive time will also be led to enjoying free time without a nagging sense of anxiety.
We hear it all of the time: some people just can’t make a commitment. That’s true. Nevertheless, committing to making a good decision and sticking with it are key to improving one’s decision-making.
For whatever reasons, today’s younger generations generally value commitment less than older generations. There are more ways to get out of commitments today, unfortunately. On a positive note, those who learn to keep commitments will likely learn other positive values, too.
And, who is accountable today? It’s a rare thing for people to be accountable for bad decisions. We all make bad decisions, and the urge is almost always there to deflect blame elsewhere. Deflecting blame to someone or something else is always a bad decision. It’s the cover-up that gets us in the end. Perhaps that’s why those who are accountable stand out as trustworthy leaders.
Responsibility is one of those disciplines that gets into the minutiae, i.e., the little things make big differences. Can one be trusted? The Bible teaches that one who is trustworthy in small things can be trusted with bigger responsibilities. Responsibility is a decision in itself. We choose not only to do things right, but more so to do the right things.
Every good decision-maker knows decisions require sacrifices, because we always have multiple choices at play. Can I commit to this and still do that? Think about our veterans who made the decision to enlist, knowing they would be called on to sacrifice something. The most revered people among us are those who have sacrificed something for the benefit of others. Sacrificial giving is a universally admirable trait.
Coach Bowden offered our football players and other students valuable advice regarding making good decisions. Some of our older folks benefited, too! Life is filled with an ever growing number of choices and decisions that affect a multitude of people — whether we realize it now or later. Choose wisely.
Daniel Gardner is a columnist who lives in Starkville.
