Tag / consequences

by Nathan Coumbe

Would you sign your name to it?

There’s an old saying among lawyers:

“If a man is willing to say it, he ought to be willing to put it on paper and sign his name beside it.”

There’s a great episode of “Parks and Recreation” where Ron Swanson gets a typewriter. He then proceeds to type letters to countless people with whom he takes issue. 

And he signs his name at the bottom. Even better, when they confront him (in person), he stands by what he said in his letter.

Social media has given us anonymity and the seeming ability to comment (often cruelly and brutally) without fear of consequences. We say things we’d never have the courage to say to a person’s face. 

So, the next time you plan on being an asshole in semi-public, ask yourself:

Would you sign your name to it? Would you be like Ron Swanson?

by Nathan Coumbe

Nice guys finish

The saying goes, “nice guys finish last.” I say we drop the final word.

Nice guys finish; that’s what is truly important.

How can the idea of being kind to others, of being understanding and empathic, lead you astray?

You might be taken advantage of; you may not gain any immediate wins or notoriety by being the nice guy. But in the long term, you will come out ahead. You will finish.

You might be last, but you still finished the race.

Those who are overly aggressive, pushy, disagreeable, who stomp all over other people will get ahead of you. They are playing a short game. They’ll win the battle. But you aren’t a tactician: you are a strategist.

The strategist, the nice guy, takes the long view: he sacrifice the immediate benefits of imposing his will on someone else. He does not seek to win at all costs. He stays true to his principles and values, giving respect and dignity to others. The results of such an approach are increased trust and understanding between two parties, rather than a win/lose or lose/win situation.

So yeah, nice guys may finish last. But they make it to the finish line. The same can’t always be said for mean guys.

by Nathan Coumbe

Natural consequences

You are free to do anything you want. You are not free to choose the consequences.

Every choice we make has a natural consequence associated with it. 

You can choose to eat McDonald’s three times a day (I’ve done this), but you cannot choose the consequences of this decision (I gained 40 pounds in a year, added 8 inches to my waist, and felt miserable most days). 

You can choose to put your finger on a hot stove (why would you?), but you cannot choose whether or not you get burned. The natural consequence is a burned finger.

When you pick up one end of the stick, you pick up the other. – Stephen R. Covey

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe below to receive updates as soon as they post.

Join 904 other subscribers
by Nathan Coumbe

You can do whatever you want…

It’s true – you really can do whatever you want to do.

You can buy whatever you want, using debt or with cash.

You can leave work early everyday and show up late if you just aren’t feelin’ it that day.

You can eat junk food throughout the day and live on take-out and fried foods. You’re an adult – eat ice cream for dinner if you want to do that.

You can do whatever you want to do…

You just can’t choose the natural consequences which will occur in reaction to your choices.