Just one of these decisions can alter the course of a person’s life. What if you decided to master them all? Explore the seven decisions for success first introduced in the New York Times bestselling book The Traveler’s Gift, learning how you can turn life around—no matter how hopeless it seems. In this updated and repackaged edition of Mastering the Seven Decisions, master storyteller and life coach Andy Andrews has fast-forwarded the concept of success and what it takes to make it stick. Seeking out what separates the ordinary life from the extraordinary, Andrews has spent much of his life dissecting countless biographies and spending time with some of the most successful people on the planet to understand the principles that propel them toward greatness. The result: simple principles that—when applied consistently—render extraordinary lives. Through his entertaining, down-to-earth style, Andrews offers all the tools necessary to make lasting changes in your life. These principles of personal success in parenting, relationships, financial success, and leadership are all around us. So why shouldn't we harness them, learn them, and use them to create a future of our choosing? The seven decision you’ll explore are: The Responsible Decision - The Guided Decision - The Active Decision - The Certain Decision - The Joyful Decision - The Compassionate Decision - The Persistent Decision The consistent application of the Seven Decisions brings about what can only be called miracles: what was once labeled “impossible” actualizes. Opportunities that once eluded you are now attracted to you. Dysfunctional relationships transform into harmonious ones. Life, which was once a struggle, now becomes an exciting adventure! Andy Andrews is a bestselling novelist, speaker, and consultant for some of the world’s most successful teams, largest corporations, and fastest-growing organizations. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Noticer , How Do You Kill 11 Million People? , and the modern classic The Traveler’s Gift . For more information, please visit AndyAndrews.com. THE SEVEN DECISIONS Understanding the Keys to Personal Success By Andy Andrews Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2008 Andy Andrews All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-529-10435-9 Contents Preface, xi, INTRODUCTION: CREATING THE LIFE YOU CHOOSE, xiii, ONE: THE RESPONSIBLE DECISION: The Buck Stops Here., 1, TWO: THE GUIDED DECISION: I Will Seek Wisdom., 25, THREE: THE ACTIVE DECISION: I Am a Person of Action., 49, FOUR: THE CERTAIN DECISION: I Have a Decided Heart., 77, FIVE: THE JOYFUL DECISION: Today I Will Choose to Be Happy., 99, SIX: THE COMPASSIONATE DECISION: I Will Greet This Day with a Forgiving Spirit., 123, SEVEN: THE PERSISTENT DECISION: I Will Persist Without Exception., 145, CONCLUSION: FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE SEVEN DECISIONS, 175, Bibliography, 191, Acknowledgments, 193, About the Author, 195, CHAPTER 1 The Responsible Decision THE BUCK STOPS HERE. If decisions are choices ... and our thinking dictates our decisions—then we are where we are because of our thinking. The Responsible Decision for Personal Success is a key—it represents the beginning. Taking responsibility for your past will segue you into an extraordinary future of your choosing. THE BUCK STOPS HERE. From this moment forward, I will accept responsibility for my past. I understand that the beginning of wisdom is to accept the responsibility for my own problems and that by accepting responsibility for my past, I free myself to move into a bigger, brighter future of my own choosing. Never again will I blame my parents, spouse, boss, or employees for my present situation. Neither my education nor lack of one, my genetics, or the circumstantial ebb and flow of everyday life will affect my future in a negative way. If I allow myself to blame these uncontrollable forces for my lack of success, I will be forever caught in a web of the past. I will look forward. I will not let my history control my destiny. The buck stops here. I accept responsibility for my past. I am responsible for my success. I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of decisions I have made. My decisions have always been governed by my thinking. Therefore, I am where I am today—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—because of how I think. Today I will begin the process of changing where I am—mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially—by changing the way I think. My thoughts will be constructive, never destructive. My mind will live in the solutions of the future. It will not dwell in the problems of the past. I will seek the association of those who are working and striving to bring about positive changes in the world. I will never seek comfort by associating with those who have decided to be comfortable. When faced with the opportunity to make a decision, I will mak