What we eat for lunch can turn out to be a big decision if we choose French fries every day, but it is hopefully just one of endless little decisions we make as a part of everyday life.  There are big decisions, however, that literally change our future and quality of life.

The biggest decision we make is one that goes to character.  Simply put, it is a decision to be honest.  Follow the Golden Rule. Tell the truth.  Be the person our grandmothers believe us to be.

Good teachers are worth their weight in gold and the best of the best alter our course for the better every time.  When we encounter them, we'll know it. We become good students.  We are inspired and learning happens joyously.

Good teachers, if not found in our particular classroom, are always available somewhere in our lives.  We may see them as good friends, unaware that their name is Teacher.  But our souls know them and our hearts smile in their presence.  Our job is to listen to their counsel when they come into our lives.

Good teachers, if not found in our particular classroom, are always available somewhere in our lives.  We may see them as good friends, unaware that their name is Teacher.  But our souls know them and our hearts smile in their presence.  Our job is to listen to their counsel when they come into our lives.

A significant person in my life gave me one of the best rules to follow when he cautioned me thusly:  'Always remember,' he offered, 'that no one will ever be more interested in your welfare than you are.  The best doctor, attorney, financial advisor, will never be more aware of your needs than you are, so be responsible, follow behind them, check out everything for yourself.'

I've been fortunate to have a wonderful - and modest - family doctor (who tells me not to write his name).  I have attorneys who look out for my best interests and CPAs I trust. But I know that I am ultimately responsible for my own well-being.  That knowledge has served me well when I keep it in mind and has been deleterious when I get lazy.

A final big decision that I believe makes a difference to each of us every day is our choice of career and where we work.  We spend as many or more hours at work than with our families and our co-workers become another family.  When we choose careers and companies wisely, we will have a more satisfying life by far.

In the end, if we begin with that first big decision, deciding to live by that Golden Rule, everything else usually falls into place sooner or later.  Each good decision builds upon the other.  At our core we know what is right.  The big decision is to pay attention.

Jean Loxley-Barnard has been a writer all her life and studied both sociology and psychology at George Washington University where she earned a B.A. Her company, The Shopper, Inc., encompasses all the Loxley-Barnard family publications - The Shopper Magazines and Doctor to Doctor Magazine. She has been in the advertising, consulting and publishing business for 39 years.