The Moral Compass Chronicles
An audio time capsule centered around morality - encouraging people around the world on the importance of governing one’s life in a morally [and biblically] sound manner!
The Moral Compass Chronicles
Your Choices Outweigh Your Current Circumstances
What ultimately defines you – your circumstances or your decisions? This transformative episode of the Moral Compass Chronicles challenges us to examine how we respond to life's difficulties. We must stop being products of our situations and instead become products of our decisions, as the choices we make have far greater impact than our circumstances. Our decisions leave fingerprints in our lives that cannot be erased, and the way we respond to challenges defines who we become.
Grace and peace. Grace and peace to one and all. Welcome to another rendition of the Moral Compass Chronicles. I'm your man, I'm your guy, eon J, I'm a, I am a beneficiary of this platform, and so I thank you, you and you, thank you for joining. I'm grateful to be here, grateful to have another opportunity to sit behind this microphone and just spend some time with you guys, man, because there has been a lot going on. There has been a lot going on. I'm sure there's been a lot going on in your life, and there has certainly been a lot going on in my life, especially if you know me, you know some of the things that I've been dealing with. If you even have listened to the last few episodes, you know what's going on, or last few chronicles, rather, if I may. But I'm grateful, man, I'm grateful to be here, I'm grateful to have another opportunity, as I said, to chop it up with you guys, and I got a very interesting thought that I want to talk about here today, that I really just want to jump right into.
Speaker 1:And at this point in my life I am, I'm drawing inspiration from everywhere, at this point in my journey, 32 years old, going on, 33 next month Am I about to hit my? I'm in my Jesus year man. I'm about to be in my Jesus year man. I'm in my about to be in my Jesus year. So please believe this will be the best year of my life and I pray that we all get to witness what God is about to use me to do, um, because I'm I'm really relying on him and and I know he's, he's I see the visions he has shown me, what he wants me to do, and I'm in the middle of. I'm in the middle of it right now, as we speak, literally as I speak, I am in the middle of doing what the Lord wants me to do, and so I'm excited for that Married baby on the way. My daughter is due either early October or late September. I'm feeling like it's going to be late September, but we'll see what happens. You know lots going on, lots going on. I won't even, you know, mention all the other things, but you know what God is good. God is good and I'm grateful about everything that that's going on right now, and so I'm drawing inspiration from just about everywhere at this point in my life. I have learned how to take the good and leave the bad. I've learned how to separate the good and like separate myself from the rest.
Speaker 1:In almost every situation I get into or I see or I am a part of, even when I'm mediating between people or counseling somebody or consulting, I am looking to learn from even someone else's circumstance and I'm looking for god to speak to me through my situation or somebody else's situation. That's where I'm at in my life. It's a wonderful place to be. It's a place of growth. It's a place of evolution, constant evolution. That's what I'm, that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking as kobe would say god rest kobe soul. I'm looking for. I'm looking as Kobe would say God rest Kobe soul. I'm looking to constantly try to be the best version of myself. And what does the best version of myself look like? That looks like me doing the work every single day to get there. It's a never ending process. It's the Mamba mentality, and I am aware of that, and so I'm striving each and every single day to be my best. And it's not easy, um, especially when watch this life circumstances come into play. And that's really where I want to go with this particular chronicle. Um, I don't know where, I don't remember where I got the inspiration from, but I remember writing this down and I it's something that I'm resonating with greatly.
Speaker 1:It's the idea that people are a product of their situation. You hear people saying that they're a product of their environment. Sometimes, oftentimes, people can be a product of their situation. You hear people saying that they're a product of their environment. Sometimes, oftentimes, people can be a product of their environment. Um, but I have come to understand that we can no longer and I want you to hear me clearly we can no longer just be a product of our situations. We can no longer be a product of our circumstance. We must get to the point where we are becoming products of our decisions. I hope you're with me. Our choices oftentimes last longer than our situations do. Our choices have the ability to last longer than our situations or our circumstances do.
Speaker 1:And I really want to dive into this because oftentimes oh man me lord, help me oftentimes. And there are outliers, there are situations, and I have people in my family who have, who are dealing with certain things, things, um, that you cannot change right. But even in those circumstances and situations, that thing does not define you. You are not defined by your circumstance, you are not defined by your situation, they say you based on what a man the measure of a man is not what he goes through, but how he handles it. I've heard that before. Right, and so our choices outlive our circumstances, and it's our choices and our decisions that define us and that make us who we are, right.
Speaker 1:So think about it. Ok, have you? Have you ever? Have you ever looked back at like a decision or choice that you made years ago and realize that it's still haunting you to this day, or you're still paying the price or the consequences for a decision that you made? Yeah, I, I have. I have. I've been there, bro. Our circumstances change. And again, yes, there are certain situations where a particular circumstance may not be able to change right, and so I'm not really speaking to that. But our circumstances change, our jobs change, our relationships may change, and based on these different things, these different factors or variables that's the word I was looking for these different variables in our life changing Oftentimes we allow that to shape what our life looks like and based on what my situation is, that will determine how I feel.
Speaker 1:I didn't even plan to go there. That's going to determine how I feel. I didn't even plan to go there. That's going to determine how I feel, based on what I've been through. Hold it now, based on what I've been through, that's going to determine who I am. That's dangerous, that's dangerous. That's dangerous. That's dangerous for you, that's dangerous for me to live that type of life Because now I, now I'm a slave.
Speaker 1:Oh Jesus, I'm a slave to fear. I'm a slave, oh Jesus, I'm a slave to fear. I'm a slave to sin. I'm a slave to what I was born into. I'm now being held captive and I'm being held hostage by this thing. Whatever that thing is For you, whatever my circumstance is, whatever my situation is, whatever my sickness is, my illness, you can't be held captive by that thing. You can't be a slave To that thing. I didn't even plan to go in this direction. This is not where I plan to go right. So like let's, let's take a step back here. Let's take a step back. Understand that your situation and your circumstance, it, for the most part and I got to keep putting that asterisk because for the most part it's temporary, it changes, it's able, your situation is able to be changed. How? With time. Sometimes all it takes is time for somebody's circumstance to change. Right, effort, let's talk about the effort. If I am making good decisions every single day, if I am making good decisions every single day, those good decisions have the power to outweigh and outlive that current situation.
Speaker 1:The loss of a job. How will I handle it? Ooh, this loss of a relationship that I loved so much, how do I handle it? Now I have a choice to make, and the choice that I make about how I go about this next phase in my life. I lost my job, my girlfriend broke up with me, I lost a family member, as I just did recently. What will I do next, bro?
Speaker 1:Me losing my job does not define who I am, but me deciding yo man, I just lost this job, I ain't worth a damn, I'm done. I, I, I'm not looking for no more jobs. And you know some people oh Lord, I don't even want to go there. I don't even want to go there. That's a decision. That is a decision that I am making now to, and I, now I have, I could go one of two ways, and I want to use an example that I actually I was talking about recently. I can go one of two ways.
Speaker 1:Now I get laid off from my job. I have a choice. Do I upskill, do I learn a new skill? Do I, do I take some extra courses now? Do I, you know, do I go on linkedin and, and, and you know, do some different things and do I retool and and and and reset and get back out there? Or am I going to give up, give up and now I'm without a job and now I'm going into debt because I've chosen to give up, because I have assumed I won't be able to get another job because I got laid off.
Speaker 1:That's a choice, yo, I'm just trying to illustrate how important these choices are. The choices have consequences and and, mind you, these choices and these decisions, now there's consequences and there's a ripple effect. Now your situation and your circumstance doesn't have a ripple effect throughout the rest of your life if you don't allow it to Right that thing that happened to you when you were younger. How unfortunate. Yes, not fair, of course not, definitely not your fault, wasn't my fault. But how am I going to move forward? Am I going to live a life where it cripples me forever, or am I going to turn that pain into power? Am I going to do the hard work and work on myself? So that number one I can make sure that I can become somebody who can help someone else through this, or do I wallow in self-pity and and and and curl up into a shell for the rest of my life anytime anything reminds me of my, of that thorn that's in my flesh? Come on, somebody, somebody, somebody preach with me now. Somebody, talk Somebody. Somebody preach with me now. Somebody, talk to me. Somebody, talk to me.
Speaker 1:We're talking about choices versus circumstance, decisions versus your current situation. I, I heard this. You know, we've all heard this. Right, yeah, maybe, maybe not, but let's, let's dive into it. You've got a man and he's a drunk. The man is a drunk, he's an alcoholic and he has two sons. Right, both sons grow up. One of the children grow up to be you guessed it an alcoholic. He's an alcoholic, he's homeless. One of the other sons grows up to be a millionaire. And so they asked the homeless son well, hey, man, what happened to you? Well, how did you get like this? How did you get into this situation? And his response is well, my father was a drunk, so I'm a drunk as well. And then they ask the millionaire son Well, man, how did you, how did you get into this position where you're so successful. And his response starts off by saying well, my father was a drunk, but I refuse To walk that path like my father did. To walk that path like my father did, I wanted.
Speaker 1:I wasn't the greatest father. He was abusive and you know he had his faults and he had his. You know his issues. But I'm faced with a choice. I saw how he raised us, how he treated my mom. May God rest his soul. I'm not speaking ill of him. This is just the truth. Right? I saw these things growing up and I was given a choice.
Speaker 1:Do I grow up to be a woman beater? Do I grow up to be a cheater? Do I grow up to be a bad father who just abuses his children, isn't there for them? And since I was younger, I made that decision for myself of what type of man I wanted to be. I always say my father showed me how not to do it. And you ask any woman I've ever been with can none of them say oh yeah, I. You know I was a cheater, you know I was a dog, so on and so forth. Talk to my wife and I've never put a hand on a woman. I've had women hit me out of anger, put hands on me. Not one time have I put my hands on a woman and it will never happen and sometimes the children going to need a smack on the butt. But I will not abuse my children out of anger and rage the way my father did. That was his way of disciplining me. That will not be my way of disciplining my children. That is a choice that I am making.
Speaker 1:I could I have lived with trauma from those days as a child being abused in that fashion, but I have decided that I will not be defined by that. Yes, it traumatized me, but I had to deal with that trauma and I've decided to turn that pain into something where now I can talk about it to some younger people and I can talk about it to some parents and I can educate on it and the pain and the and the, the damage that it can do. Right, I've been through it as a son and now I'm a married man, I can speak, I'm qualified to speak on it now and I can see it from different angles and different vantage points. It is extremely important that I make the proper decision to not become that person. That's what we're talking about here. I hope somebody's getting something. I hope somebody's getting something.
Speaker 1:I, um, I counsel a lot of people and I talk to a lot of people and that's how I know. I mean, I know firsthand how much stuff as I speak. I just got excuse me, I just got a text message asking if somebody could come to my house, come to my house impromptu to talk about something that that's right now as I it's, it's it's 10, it's 10 pm right now on on a thursday evening, a thursday night. So we're going through. I know. I know we're going through, guys, I know we're going through, but I just want to encourage somebody.
Speaker 1:I want to encourage you that your choices outweigh your circumstance, your decision how you go about what you're going through right now. The effects of these choices that you make will outlive your circumstance and your situation for the most part. And the truth is, even if you were born with something and them doctors told you that you're gonna die with that same thing, you have two choices I can live a life in fear of never being released from this thorn in my flesh, or I can make the decision every single day to live my life to the fullest in spite of this thorn that I was born with, in spite of this thorn that they're telling me that I'm going to die with. Come on, I know somebody's with me. I know somebody's with me, your environment.
Speaker 1:It's an, it can be an influence, yes, but I heard somebody say your attitude determines your latitude. I think that was it might have been most deaf back in the day rhyme that I got to change that up because everybody, anybody who knows or hopefully I'm correct on this, don't kill me on this one but your latitude. Latitude is horizontal. If I'm not, if I'm not, if I'm not wrong, I like to say longitude. Your attitude determines your longitude, how high you can go, but you know what Latitude works. Also, how much can I go out? How much can I spread? Pause. You know how far can I go, how, how many, I mean, how many people can I reach? My attitude will determine that, not my circumstance, not my environment growing up, but who I've decided to become, the choices that I have made. I've decided to go to school in spite of the fact that nobody in my family is a college graduate. I decided that I'm going to be the first college graduate, not literally, but I'm talking to somebody right now. You decided that that's a good decision.
Speaker 1:Your situation it may initially shape you. It's what's your, your, what you were born into, what you're dealing, what you've been dealing with, what you've dealt with in the past. Yes, those things shape you, but it's the decisions that you make that define you. Those circumstances may start to shape you, but it's those decisions that truly define who you are. I feel like sometimes we overestimate the circumstance and we give too much credence, we give too much, too much power, too much authority to the circumstance.
Speaker 1:It's easier to blame the environment. It's easier to blame the situation. It's easier, it's easier to do that than to take accountability. Oh, this is the moral compass chronicles, don't get it twisted. Oftentimes it's easier for me to blame what happened to me and the people who did what they did to me and all the stuff that I've been through and all the stuff I'm currently going through. Sometimes it's easier and it's not even sometimes. It's always easier to point that finger forward than it is to point that finger at yourself.
Speaker 1:It's easier to do that than it is to look in the mirror and say yo, what can I do right now to change my situation? What can I do right now to, and you know what. How. What can I do right now? And you know what. What can I do every single day that is going to gradually dig me out of this hole that I find myself in? I may not have been the one that put myself here, I may not be the reason that I'm here in this hole right now, but what can I do? How can I take responsibility for my life and not live a woe is me type of life Every single day? Go on, I saw this quote. It says ownership is the bridge between where you are and where you want to be.
Speaker 1:Your circumstances explain where you start, but they don't. They don't define where you finish your circumstance. That's where you start your situation. These things may not have been controllable and sometimes you're in a oh, watch this now. Sometimes we're in a particular situation and circumstance now it's because choices that we made, so let's keep it 100. Now. It's not just what I was born with, it's not just, oh, what someone did. Sometimes I did it to myself.
Speaker 1:I heard. I heard a preacher um bishop daryl hill shout out to bishop Darrell Hill. I heard him say one time it's not the devil's not attacking you, he's not attacking your finances. You don't know how to manage money. Sometimes it's us, sometimes it's my fault why I'm in this financial mess. I'm in. It's my fault. It's not because the devil was attacking my finances. Yes, I'm sure the devil now is trying to use it to get in my head to cause me to lose faith in myself and lose faith in god. Yes, because that's what the enemy does. The enemy uses your current circumstance and tries to get into your mind. But let's keep it 100. I'm not. I'm not broke because of the devil. I'm broke because of me. Somebody needs to look at themselves in a mirror. Come on, I'm almost done. I'm almost done. Come on, I'm rapping with you. I'm rapping with. Somebody needs to look at themselves in the mirror. Come on, I'm almost done. I'm almost done. Come on, I'm rapping with you. I'm rapping with you right now, not at you. Ownership is the bridge between where you are and where you want to be. That's I have taken that for myself.
Speaker 1:I found, you know, a year ago or so, whatever, even going back, I was working a job. I had my CDL license. I'm doing whatever I'm doing and but I didn't like what I was doing. So I'm looking for jobs. I'm looking for jobs, looking, looking, working and looking for jobs driving a truck, looking for jobs Right and couldn't find anything, couldn't find anything to save my life. And I'm like Lord, I'm qualified for so much more Excuse me so much more than I'm doing right now On paper, and in my heart and in my soul I'm more qualified and I'm qualified for these jobs I'm applying for. Why can't I get anything Around? That same time, god starts showing me what he wants me to do and what he wants me to create.
Speaker 1:But I'm looking for jobs, looking for jobs, can't find anything, eventually lose the job I had, long story short, not too long after the company shut down. So what's up? Talk to me, I ain't perfect, but god don't play about his. They did me dirty. Look at y'all. Now whole company shut down. Sorry, that's a little sidebar. Anybody who got caught in the crosshairs and the crossfire, you know I'm sorry mitch. You know what the place was a mess, but anyway, right, boom.
Speaker 1:So now I have a decision to make, though I got, and I'm looking for jobs, looking for jobs. I have a decision to make and I ain't gonna lie, I got a little discouraged at points, but I decided to dig and to build and to start and to make the choice every single day, to do the thing and do it, and start it, and create it and go and work and work. That's why it's 10 o'clock right now and I'm still working. It's 10, it's it's 10 30 right now and I'm still working. This is a decision. It's 1030 right now and I'm still working. This is a decision. It's a choice. Nobody is going to get me to where I want to go and nobody has the ability to push me the way. I need to be pushed more than myself.
Speaker 1:Ownership is the bridge between where you want to be and where you are right now. So somebody needs to take ownership. Take ownership. You are where you are. Don't dwell on how you got here. Yes, it may have been your bad decision. Yes, it may have been something you were born with. Yes, it may have been something that was done to you, but it does not define you. You are not what your situation says. You are. You are who you decide to be today. You are who you decide to be tomorrow morning, and that decision that you make to either call out of work or get your ass up excuse my language and get to work. That is going to be the difference between where you will be tomorrow. Or get your ass up, excuse my language and get to work. That is going to be the difference between where you will be tomorrow and where you want to be.
Speaker 1:Yo, I'm telling you, this message right here is for me more than it is for anybody else, because God, when God sends a word, he sends it for the messenger first. I'm telling you right now, this one is for anybody else because god, when god sends a word, he sends it for the messenger first. I'm telling you right now, this one is for me all right. So now I like to say that I like to be solution-based, right, so let's get solution-based. We're just about done here. Let's get solution-based for a second, because I want to help. I want to help, right, this is a part of my business, this is is something I do. Um, you know, god has blessed me with the moral compass chronicles that's this podcast. He's also blessed me with the moral compass mediation and consulting, and and I have been doing my best to help people, because that is my true aim, that's my desire, that's my heart's desires to just help people, right. And so let's be solution based here.
Speaker 1:How now do I start to live that life? And maybe I need to do a little part two of this one. But how? How I want to get through this, how, what do I need to do? How can I make sure that my choices and my decisions are outlasting my circumstances? Well, slow down, slow down. What you shouldn't do is act out of anger or too spontaneously. Sometimes you need to slow down.
Speaker 1:If you're a God-fearing person, you're religious, like myself, you know who God is, because those of us who know him for real, you know what time it is. A lot of people, people don't, but the ones of us that do, you know what time it is. Seek the lord. Seek the lord. That's not even on my list. They should have been, should have been number one. I apologize, but that's coming now from my heart. Seek the lord while he may be found. You need answers. Seek the lord, slow down. So now, pause.
Speaker 1:Don't just make decisions. You know. That's why I'm married now for the first time in my life. I paused and I sought the lord and he answered me. He answered me and now I'm married to the person. He told me yo, this is a good choice for you. Yes, son, it's your decision to make. Now, though, oh, holy ghost, I thank you. Watch this. Now it's your decision to make. I can lead you, eon, but I can't choose for you. But just understand, my son, that any decision, whatever decision you make, there will be a ripple effect for the rest of your life. Oh, my god, I could close it right there. I could end it right here.
Speaker 1:The decision that I made back in 2021, 2022, it shaped the rest of my life and and had I gone in another direction, my life would look totally different. I ain't here to speak on what it would look like, because I don't know, and at this point, I don't care, because I'm where I'm at and I thank God for where I'm at and I thank God for who I'm with. Shout out to my wife Love you, sweetheart. Whenever this gets to you, whenever you listen, I love you, right, but seek the Lord, somebody. Come on, seek the Lord, seek the Lord. Seek the Lord.
Speaker 1:We have made too many decisions on our own and we see where they have gotten us. All right, you see somebody. I'm talking to somebody. You see where your decisions have gotten you when you do it alone. Let's, let's try involving the lord, all right, and that goes for relationships, and that was just the example I wanted to use. But that's for business, schooling, friendships, choosing a church, come on, all right.
Speaker 1:And now I have written down here, let's start to shift from reaction to intention. I remember I was, I was, I was counseling somebody one time and I mentioned that we got to stop being so reactionary. Start to become a little more intentional about what we, how we respond to our what we, how we respond to our situation, how we respond to our circumstance. Don't just respond to the pressure that you feel. Make a decision with purpose, and a lot of times that'll come after you seek the lord. That'll come after you hear god speak to you and speak to your situation. But we got to be listening. You pray, listen and I can help you more with that. I can help you more with that.
Speaker 1:Surround yourself wisely. Wise counsel is important. Who's counseling you? Who's in your air? Who are you listening to? Who are you calling? Who are you speaking to about your situation? Who are you? Oh God, I thank you. Who are you speaking to about your circumstance? Who's in your air? Surround yourself wisely, because your circle has the ability the people you surround yourself with. They have the ability to shape your standards and your perception of life, your perception of your circumstance.
Speaker 1:Something happened to me when I was younger. A young lady did a little something to me when I was young. Huh, and let's just say, my perception of it meant everything, and I didn't realize how much it meant until now. Today, as I sit here, I realize how much damage that thing could have done to me. Man, I tell you this is real, bro. This is real stuff. This is real stuff, going a little longer than I wanted, but this is real stuff. Surround yourself wisely.
Speaker 1:Your future self, your tomorrow self self, your next week self, one month from now. Eon, october eon, who's going to be the father of a daughter who will be on this side of the vineyard? October eon is counting on the decisions that July Eon makes the decision to grind, to get up and get after it, as Coach Skip used to say. Am I getting after it or am I BSing myself? My future self is counting on my present decisions and my present choices. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. I thank you so much for listening. If you've made it this far, I love you. I love you. I want to remind you that your circumstances can change and they change based on your choices.
Speaker 1:But you need to understand that your choices and your decisions, they leave a fingerprint in this world. Your decisions leave a fingerprint. You ever see a crime scene, how they catch that sub, that suspect? They don't catch you off hearsay. They can't catch you. If they don't see you right, they can't confirm that it was you. But if you leave a fingerprint behind, that's your DNA, as DNA evidence and you are cooked. You're cooked, bro. You're fried, you're done. If they got your fingerprints and if they have no other proof of anything else, one thing they can prove is that you were there. And if they can just prove that you were there, you are cooked.
Speaker 1:Your decisions leave a fingerprint in your life. It's not just fleeting. Your decisions matter. Your story, your decisions are written in ink, cannot be erased. Your choices and your decisions, and you may be able to cross it out and write something else, but it's still there. So decide today. Decide who you want to be, decide, make the decision to take control of your life and your circumstance. Take control of your situation, because you control who you want to be and where you want to be in this life. I love you until next time. This is the moral compass chronicles.