Advice from Optimus Prime

Post written by Steve Otto. Follow me on Twitter.

Optimus Prime is a the leader of the Autobots, a faction of heroic Transformers from the planet Cybertron who wage their battles against the evil forces of the Decepticons for control of their homeworld, and by extension, peace in the universe. Optimus Prime is depicted as a heroic, brave and compassionate character who puts all his talent to use to improve the world around him. Optimus has a strong sense of justice and righteousness, and has dedicated himself to the protection of all life, particularly the inhabitants of Earth; he will battle his foes with unyielding resolve to uphold this belief. (according to wikipedia).

I have not seen Transformers 2 yet, but I look forward to watching it, probably as part of a Guy’s Movie Night. On the movie trailer, you hear one of Optimus Prime’s incredible quotes:

Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing

- Optimus Prime

Optimus is completely right. There are milestones in our life that we know are coming, but many times we face situations in our life that we had no idea we would confront when we woke up that morning. You can’t exactly plan for specific things, but there are some things you can do to prepare for these moments in general.

Become a Jumper. Ever notice how many times when something happens to a person in public, everyone stands around? If a passerby falls of their bike in front of a crowd, everyone looks down at them and feels bad, but no one steps in to help the person up. Learn to jump in and help. Let this become second nature to you. Always be looking for people to help and then help. Don’t stand there and let your mind take over. You’ll be come flooded with justifications as to why you don’t need to help. They might feel embarrassed if I step in. Well guess what, they already feel embarrassed and could probably use some encouragement.

Know Your Priorities. When it comes to having to make a quick decision that will greatly impact your life, you should already know what your priorities are. If you are offered a new position at work that will require an extra 15 hours a week, you need to know where that falls on your list. If you are single, maybe it’s a great opportunity. But if your kids are just starting school, then perhaps this isn’t the right season to move up the corporate ladder. By knowing your priorities, you are able to take the emotion out of a decision and make a better choice. A new title may sound fun and exciting, but knowing your involvement in your children’s lives is most important right now makes it an easy choice.

Know what defines you. Many decisions we face are not easy. There is usually an easy way out, which is often the wrong way, or you can take the high road which is often more difficult. So know what character you have, or what character qualities you are striving for. Is it Integrity? Compassion? Courage? What you do in these situations defines you. If you choose to look the other way when a co-worker is stealing, then you are giving away your Integrity. If you fail to jump in and help someone who is being harassed, then you are giving away your Courage. And if walk past a homeless person without giving them money, then you are saving a few bucks but selling out your Compassion.

Looking Back. Its not easy to always do the right thing. I have often failed at many of the examples I gave above. Just recently I was visiting Boston and walked right past a homeless man without giving him a dime. I didn’t have any cash on me (which was my justification at the time), but I failed to take a quick minute to hit an ATM. And now his face haunts me. Make the hard choices right now, they define who you are, and you can’t get those moments back. As Optimus says, they won’t come at an opportune time, so work on the things above so you can make the right choice.

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!