The Theory of One Degree….
Your choices today make the difference
tomorrow!
The sailor….
•There was a sailor about
to embark on a journey
around the world – he had
sailed for years and a
global venture had always
been a goal of his.
The planning…
•He had plotted his course
around the equator for
months, studying charts,
graphs and satellite pictures
to make sure his journey
would be a successful one.
The advice…
•His fellow shipmates
had advised him on
weather patterns,
ports-of-call, and areas
of calmer seas.
The beginning…
•He began his trip with
excitement and joy, but all
his excitement in the
moment had fogged his
vision – he began 1
degree off track.
The mistake…
•Failing to recognize his error and,
thusly, not correcting it left him offcourse for the rest of his journey. He
arrived at the “end” of his trip 500
miles off-course!
•With no money or resources left he
was forced to abandon ship and
journey home a failure.
•Just one degree…….
Just one degree….
• To think, just 1 degree threw this whole trip offcourse … one poor decision.
• Could the same happen to you?
• The choices you make today…as young as you
are…will affect the rest of your life!
For every failure, there's an alternative course
of action. You just have to find it. When you
come to a roadblock, take a detour.
- Mary Kay Ash
*Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
Event + Response = Outcome
• Everyday we are confronted with events:
– Wake up or stay asleep?
– Brush or don’t brush?
– Pay attention or goof-off?
– Etc.
• Our responses to these events are our
choices….these choices, no matter how small, have a
lasting effect on our lives.
• We have to be deliberate. Intentional. Calculating.
• We have to make choices – sometimes, tough
decisions – and be prepared to live with the
“outcomes”.
The ripple effect….
• Our decisions are like rocks thrown into a pool
of water….the effects ripple outward to touch all
aspects of our lives.
– Ditching classes today will leave you at risk of failing while
developing poor work habits for the rest of your life.
– Choosing to take a class simply because friends are in it could
leave you bored and/or uncomfortable if you and your friends
have a falling out.
– Deciding to study regularly will result in better grades now,
but it will also create good habits in your school work through
college and even, later, as a professional.
Buy now….
pay ALWAYS!!!
• Just like interest that accrues on a credit card balance,
there are compounding effects of our choices – both
good and bad.
– The cost of a bicycle charged on a credit card
today can end up costing you equal to a car in the
years ahead if you don’t manage your bills well.
– Making a bad choice today, like using drugs or
skipping school, could steer your future into a
direction of negative effects you never would have
chosen!
Navigate your life
wisely….
• The decisions that knock us “1-degree” off course
today, months or years from now, can result in us
being worlds away from where we wanted to be.
• Our choices, even the most mundane, are like turns
on the steering wheel of our lives – which direction
are you going?
• School, friends, activities, habits, drugs, alcohol,
etc. pose choices for us….which way will YOU
steer?
Today’s choices…..
• Starting high school on the right
foot pointed in the right direction.
– You started right just by being here
today! 
• Why is it such a big deal?
– The more you know, the better you
GO!
• How can these choices effect you
later?
– Your road to college or career begin
TODAY!
Resources
• hardware.slashdot.org/hardware
• http://www.ca-phillips.blogspot.com/
• www.FOURWINDS10.com, “PEOPLE
OF THE LIE: Discerning Truth” by,
Patrick H. Bellringer