Who are you judging?

The very first recruiting event I was invited to was hosted by the Side by Side Boys, the local affiliate of the Latin Kings gang, on the grounds of my school. While I chose not to walk the line that day, I had no choice about being affiliated with the gang and was promptly registered as a known gang member simply for being seen at the event. The extent of this reality hit me while I was attending a concert on the same day as the rival South Beach Posse gang - affiliated with Folk Nation - was making its presence felt, and which I was able to escape with the help of a relative who was a member of SBP. A choice I had not made was about to define my life.

—> Take the weekend to think back to a time in your life when someone judged you or your actions out of context. Recall as many details as you can. How did that make you feel? What was the impact on your life?

—> Now, think long and hard about when you passed judgment based on limited information that resulted in a negative or unintended consequence. What could you have done differently?

You will have to make judgments with limited information. Mapping out the degree of uncertainty against the consequences of a decision (ex. high-confidence/low-consequence to low-confidence/high-consequence) will help you at least know where you stand.