# Do the Right Thing

By Randall Degges · March 20, 2012 · https://rdegges.com/2012/do-the-right-thing/

> Personal development boils down to one rule: do the right thing. You know who you want to be, so eat well, write more, be honest, and push through.

![Dark Angel][]


While I devote a lot of time, energy, and effort to making myself a better
person--I sometimes think I make the whole thing too complicated.

What does "personal development" even mean, really?  The whole concept of
personal development really boils down to this: **do the right thing**.

That's it!

Let's say you'd like to lose weight.  "Doing the right thing" for you would
simply be eating healthier foods.  Similarly, if you'd like to become a better
writer--"doing the right thing" would mean writing more frequently, reading
more often, and studying the works of those authors whose style you'd like to
emulate.

Imagine if you woke up tomorrow with no memory of who you previously were.
What if the only thing you could remember were the traits you'd like to have...
Let's say:

-   You'd like to be an excellent writer.
-   You'd like to be large and muscular.
-   You'd like to be an honest person.
-   You'd like to help others.

What would you do? Well, I'm assuming that you'd:

-   Start writing frequently and attempt to become a good writer.
-   Eat healthy foods and lift heavy weights.
-   Be honest with yourself and everyone else.
-   Help those people around you who need assistance.

I mean--why wouldn't you?  You have no memory of anything, and you've got a
clear picture of the things you want to become.  I'd even say that you'd be
crazy not to pursue those goals!

When I'm struggling with my own personal development, I often remind myself
that progress can be either really simple, or really difficult.  The choice is
up to me.

Over the past few weeks I've been having a lot of problems mustering up the
energy to make the changes that I'd like to make.  Sure, I've been making
progress--but the progress I've made has been so small that it's demotivating. 

It's times like these that I like to think of things as simply as possible.

Do the right thing.  Make the right choices.  You've got an ideal that you're
working towards.  You know what things you need to do to get there.  So do
them.

If things are hard--fight for them.  If you can't seem to find a way around
your problems, bulldoze through them.

While simply "doing the right thing" can be a scary--it is often times easier
than the alternatives.

Do the right thing.


[Dark Angel]: dark-angel.jpg "Dark Angel"