No matter how “right” they may be, doubt and second-guessing often creep in. After all, if it were easy, where’s the fun in that? I’ve made decisions that upset people, but were ultimately the right call—whether based on facts or morals. 

I once found myself in a tricky situation within an organization I’m part of. We had to make a difficult leadership decision, and I wrestled with which direction to take. I figured the best approach was to sit down with the leader in question, hear them out, and make a call from there. After a thoughtful conversation, I made the same decision that had been suggested at the prior meeting—but this time, it was for a different reason. The leader had expressed they were ready to step aside, and it was simply time for a change. 

Of course, not everyone was thrilled that I had spoken to the leader directly. Some felt I had gone behind their backs. But what could I do? I tend to make decisions with my heart—and yes, that’s led to some spectacularly bad choices in the past. But over time, I’ve learned to use both my heart and head together, striving to make balanced decisions. Do I still mess up? Absolutely. But when I do, I can live with the outcome because I made every effort to consider all perspectives.

We all make decisions based on our emotions, our environment, and the voices of those around us. But no one can get it perfectly right if we’re only listening to one side of the story. One of my favorite sayings is: There are three sides to every story—your side, my side, and the truth. 

Imagine if we, as a group, could embrace that mindset. We could start by openly sharing our perspectives: Here’s what I see, and here’s how it affects those who think like me. Then, we’d do the same for the other side, without blame or rumor. No speculation, just facts. Compromise isn’t about winning—it’s about everyone walking away with something, even if no one gets everything. And that takes effort, understanding, and, most importantly, thinking about others.

I’ll be honest—I’m writing this with an election in mind. I won’t say which side I lean toward, but anyone who knows me knows I’m pretty independent. I don’t believe you can fully belong to one side or the other. If you do, well, you’re a sheep—and last time I checked, sheep don’t vote. No one person has the perfect solution. No one person can do this alone. If anyone says they can, then history shows, we may want to stay away from them. Having idea’s is what we need! Having plans is very important. You want to guarantee my vote, work with everyone, for everyone!

The truth is, I’ve never met someone who agrees with me 100% of the time, just as I’ve never met someone who opposes everything I believe. So, finding a perfect group of people who represent me? Unlikely. And while rhetoric might tell you otherwise, one person alone can’t change the world. If they could, we’d already be living in a perfect state of Zen—or in complete chaos, depending on the individual.

What I do know for certain is this: I deeply care about people who see the world differently than I do. We can have intense debates, but at the end of the day, we hug, say we love each other, and move on. No one is 100% right or 100% wrong. It would take an extraordinary situation—one that I can’t even imagine—to make me lose sight of the value of family and friends.

Look, here’s the truth: I don’t like tomatoes, Porsches, or Guns and Roses. And don’t get me started on the New York Rangers. But I’ve got friends who disagree with me on all of these things, and they’re still my friends for a reason. We’ve found more important things to bond over.

I’ve always taught my sons that as long as they’ve thought things through, I’ll respect their decisions—except if they decide to become New York Rangers fans. In that case, they’re grounded for life. I wish I was joking.

If you’re making decisions without looking at all sides, you’re making a mistake. Will this message change the way others make decisions? I don’t know. But I always hope that at least one person stumbles upon my thoughts and finds them meaningful.

Zak Clayton  

President/Founder  

Community Pay it Forward / Community Dare to Care / The pACT Channels