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Episode No. 0009: Make Good Choices
2 Plays59 seconds ago
You ever hear a phrase so many times it loses meaning?
Then one day… it hits different?
In this episode, we’re unpacking the deceptively simple wisdom of “make good choices” — a phrase I used to shrug off, but now hold close when life gets foggy, fearful, or full of friction.
Inspired by the poem Invictus and grounded in the real, raw truth of personal pivots, this episode is a reflection on agency, quiet decisions, and the power of choosing yourself — even when the world doesn’t clap for it.
This isn’t advice. This isn’t instruction.
This is perspective — for the moments when it’s time to bet on you.
🎧 Press play if you’ve been stalling on a shift, sitting in silence, or standing at the edge of something new.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction & Sponsorship
00:00:08
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This is the Greatness Router, where we connect purpose to process one conversation at a time.
00:00:25
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This episode of The Greatness Router is brought to you by Laid Off Lemonade, a book for anyone who's had to start over, stand tall, and find joy in what's next.
00:00:36
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Get your copy at laidofflemonade.com or on Amazon. And remember, the rebuild is the breakthrough.
Poem 'Invictus' & Personal Story
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Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul.
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In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody but unbowed Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the horror of the shade And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid It matters not how straight the gate
00:01:38
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How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.
00:01:51
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That was Invictus by William Ernest Henley. And it reminds me of the moment I quit my job. Not because it was poetic, not because it made sense on paper, but because something in me, something louder than fear said it was time to go.
00:02:16
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Now, before we go any further, let me be real clear about something. This episode, it's not advice. It's not instruction.
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It's not a recommendation to go quit your job or pivot without a plan. Or go make a life altering decision off of a podcast.
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This is a personal story from my journey.
Owning Your Path & Choices
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And I'm sharing it for perspective, not for persuasion.
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If you're at a crossroads, I encourage you to take responsibility for your choices. Seek wise counsel and get support where support is due. Because the truth is your path is yours.
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So own it.
00:03:14
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Now, here's what the literature Invictus doesn't say out loud, but absolutely demands we reckon with. It's one thing to recite, i am the master of my fate, but it's another thing to entirely believe it.
00:03:35
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like Especially when life is gutting you in silence. This poem doesn't promise ease. It doesn't promise clarity.
00:03:46
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What it offers is a challenge to take responsibility for your path, even when the path is unfair. It asks us to stay ready, even when we're bleeding.
00:04:01
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It asks us to show up for ourselves, even when nobody else does. It asks us to own our choices, not because they're perfect, but because they're ours.
00:04:16
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And if we're being honest, that's not just empowering. It's exhausting. So the real challenge isn't just about strength.
00:04:31
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It's about stamina. It's about how long you're willing to keep choosing your soul, even when the outcome is unclear.
00:04:43
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So I'll challenge you with this. What's your relationship to choice? And do you believe you still have it when things fall apart?
Making 'Good Choices' Amidst Uncertainty
00:04:59
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Let's look at this phrase real quick. Make good choices. It sounds simple, but what does a good choice even mean when clarity is foggy, when fear is real, when the stakes are personal?
00:05:23
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It's something my mom used to say in a way that told you this wasn't a suggestion. This is a reminder, make good choices.
00:05:33
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And I used to shrug it off or smirk or say, I will just to get out of the house faster. But now I hear that phrase in my spirit, y'all, ah especially when I'm tired, especially when I'm torn.
00:05:51
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Because the truth is making good choices isn't about being perfect. It's about being honest.
00:06:03
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Honest with yourself. Honest about what still fits.
00:06:11
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And what no longer does. And that's the thing about pivoting. It's not always loud. Sometimes it's subtle.
00:06:23
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Sometimes it's slow. Sometimes it's ah as small as deciding not to answer a call that drains you or saying yes to something that stretches you.
00:06:41
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So before we talk about the pivot, let's look at the choices that lead up to it. The quiet ones, the daily ones, the ones that no one claps for.
00:06:59
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Here's one way to see it. The delayed choice.
00:07:06
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Sometimes we don't make the choice. We delay it. We wait. We stall. We hope the situation changes so we don't even have to deal with it.
00:07:21
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But avoidance is a choice too. A choice to stay where we no longer feel aligned.
00:07:34
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A choice to be passive with our peace.
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The challenge with delay is that it drains you. And before you know it, your delay actually becomes your default.
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Here's another angle to consider. the disguised choice.
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Sometimes what looks like a bad decision to other people may very well be the right decision for you. Okay.
00:08:13
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Not everyone will understand why you chose rest over hustle Or why you chose a smaller paycheck over a bigger burden. Or why you choose silence over performance.
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And that's okay. Good choices aren't always recognizable on the outside. But they are almost always felt on the inside.
00:08:49
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And... Here's a third angle I want to offer.
Reclaiming Personal Value & Power
00:08:56
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I'll call this the ongoing choice. A pivot isn't one big moment. They tend to be a series of smaller ones.
00:09:09
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Choosing to stay in alignment Choosing to check in with yourself. Choosing to let go of the thing that no longer reflects who you are becoming.
00:09:25
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The ongoing choice tends to be quiet, sometimes even difficult. But where the real transformation happens is in the moments no one sees.
00:09:40
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You still choose greatness.
00:09:47
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See, protecting my peace is something I had to learn the hard way. I was raised to believe that you work hard and your hard work will pay off.
00:10:03
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And I still believe that. But the framing is different now. The lens is different. The angle is different.
00:10:19
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I've always been the type that busted my butt to excel at everything I've ever committed to. That is until I realized that the commitment was one-sided, okay?
00:10:38
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Or stacked against me, or even worse, siphoning off of me.
00:10:47
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More specifically, using me for their gain, whoever they may be. And let me be clear. They could be a person, ah system, a title, anything that benefits from your actual brilliance, but never truly pours back into it.
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See?
Believing in Your Journey's Purpose
00:11:15
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I believe in giving my all, in honoring the greatness in every person, and in trusting that every journey, no matter how small we think it is, has a purpose.
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But that belief system, that belief system tends to get tested when you realize you've been taken for granted.
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Or worse, when you realize you've taken yourself for granted.
00:11:54
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That's when i have to call it back. Okay, I'm calling back my voice. I'm calling back my value. I'm calling back my power. And sometimes that calling back means walking away from things I loved, things I worked hard for, things I dreamed about, things I prayed for.
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The most recent time, I had to do that was just under a decade ago.
Personal Balance & Difficult Choices
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i quit a job i was really good at It was in an industry where with the proper resources, i could have made some serious impact.
00:12:44
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It was challenging, it had perks, it was stable, but it didn't give me the balance I needed. And hindsight being fifty fifty that's okay.
00:13:02
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Because I learned a lot. A lot about myself, my style, my standards, and what I would and wouldn't and will and will not tolerate going forward.
00:13:21
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That experience was necessary, but it was also complete. So after a long dialogue with myself, this was no easy decision, y'all.
00:13:35
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I quit. I jumped. I spread my wings on faith.
00:13:43
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I bet on me. I chose me.
00:13:48
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And while it's been challenging, It has absolutely been a good choice.
00:13:59
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So here's the thing. The phrase make good choices used to make me roll my eyes too.
00:14:11
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It felt obvious, repetitive, like something you hear when someone doesn't trust you to figure it out for yourself.
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But the older i get, the more I realize how hard it actually is to do.
00:14:34
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Because making a good choice isn't about having it all figured out. It's about being honest. about what no longer aligns with you. It's about being brave enough to pivot, even if nobody is there clapping for you.
00:14:59
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It's about recognizing the quiet ways we betray ourselves and choosing to stop. choosing to come home to who we are and not who someone else wants us to be.
00:15:17
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Okay. Okay. okay Let me hurry up and wrap this up. Sorry. Look, I get on my soapbox y'all. If you're standing in a decision or delaying one or trying to reclaim the piece of yourself, you gave away far too freely This is me cheering for you.
00:15:40
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You got this, for real. Because nobody else gets to define what a good choice is for your life, but you.
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So take the time, ask the hard questions. And when you're ready, make good choices.
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The kind your future self will thank you for.
00:16:16
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If this episode stirred something in you, whether you're standing in the middle of a quiet pivot, wrestling with a decision no one else can make, or just trying to figure out what your next good choice looks like, I wrote something for that.
00:16:33
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It's called Laid Off Lemonade, and it's not just about layoffs. It's about rebuilding. It's about reclaiming your worth, Rewriting your story and finding clarity even when the road is unfamiliar.
00:16:48
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You can find it at laidofflemonade.com or on Amazon. No pressure. But if you are in the season where you need a little reminder of who you are, it might be exactly what you need.
00:17:05
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All right, fam, take care of yourselves, protect your peace, and as always, make good choices.
Podcast Subscription & Sharing
00:17:18
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And that's a wrap on this episode of The Greatness Router. If you found some value in today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, rate, and definitely share. It helps more people connect to the journey of greatness.
00:17:30
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Until next time, keep moving with purpose.