Print This Post
| 
Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email |
Motivation to do good should be a cause not an effect.
Before I delve into the content of this article, I want to thank everyone currently on this site, and particularly those who continue to return and read its contents. All the comments and relayed feedback have been great both for me and other readers. As always, if you like what you see here, share this site with your friends and family. From my end, I’ll continue my endeavor to come up with interesting, relevant and uplifting content for you.
If you haven’t done so, you can subscribe using the bookmark image link that shows up below each article. and on the first right side menu. That way you know when articles are posted or updated. Now, back to the subject at hand…
Somewhere along the line I assume that everyone has typically learned that it is expected of them to do the right thing on a continuous basis. However, like everything in this world there are numerous times when there’s a disconnection between knowing what to do and understanding why, or knowing and being successful at accomplishing the undertaking of doing the right thing on a daily basis. Furthermore, for those who effect more good choices or decisions to enrich themselves and others, it is very possible to get caught up in doing the right thing to the point that we forget to accurately identify why it is we choose such particular courses of action – just as it is when we do things that are in the wrong. Behavior should not be solely driven by emotion; rather, it should be grounded by strong principles and values.
In an attempt to be less cryptic, the notion of “right” or “the right thing” when compared to “wrong” or “the wrong thing” is deep-rooted in the basic classification of right and wrong. This classification goes back to the fundamental description and distinctions between things that are morally accurate as opposed to morally deficient, truth-based as opposed to drenched with lies, edifying as opposed to mean-spirited, enriching as opposed to exploiting, honorable as opposed to dishonorable, gracious as opposed to ungracious, uplifting as opposed to pulling down, and constructive as opposed to destructive.
Many people lead successful lives doing the right thing on a daily basis. Some people are successful doing this ever so often, and some people try to practice this in their everyday life but realize that attempt is always short-lived. For those who typically have short bursts of doing the right thing, one of the self-evaluating questions that I have found useful over time is figuring out what drives the desire to do the right thing. Based on what I have learned and seen, it is apparent that motivation is a powerful factor.
Years ago I had a dog tag that I typically wore almost everyday. On the front it read, “DWR”. On the back I believe it read something like, “Do what is right and good… and it shall be well with you”. In retrospect, it’s interesting how the continuous reading and wearing of something for a particular length of time somewhat contributed to shaping a portion of my mindset. Interestingly enough I subconsciously imbibed this watchword – Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Yet as time passed, I realized I didn’t fully capture the true essence of what that meant but the little I captured stuck, and that seemed to work acceptably for while. However with increased awareness, the next step was to redefine for my psyche the connotation of that phrase.
Every now and again we find ourselves doing the right thing because it is required of us by some governing body such as the government, school, religion, family, or place of work. Even though we’d rather not, we feel compelled, sometimes plainly forced. Other times it could be due to selfish or self-effacing reasons. We do the right thing because we don’t want to be seen by others as a “bad person”, because, well, in some particular instances it is actually personally considered easier than the less noble alternative. As such, you quickly notice that some of the reasons above that drive people’s propensity to do the right thing, also drives their inclination do what is not right. Given this notion, it means that it is very easy for a stellar record of positivity to be short-lived. The prospect of doing the right thing is only going to thrive if your reasons transcend emotional disposition or a quid pro quo (“This for that”; “something for something”) mentality. You have to decide that regardless of the outcome, the benefit, or the reward, you are always going to choose right. Only then is success in that area guaranteed, only then can doing the right thing be individual.
Whatever right thing a person does, it should not be done based on what is expected in return. Whatever seems to infuriate or aggravate you the most is always what begs to be tested! If you base good deeds on what you expect in return, when people fall short of your expectations (as they typically will sooner or later) it may lead you to relax, question, or deviate from certain principles. In the event that this happens, you may end up losing a character value that is increasingly hard to come by. If the desire to truly do the right thing is individual, then regardless of the outcome, nothing changes for you.
On Facebook? Join the Insight & Foresight blog network. Thanks!
