Question Four: Will it be Beneficial to All Concerned?
Every choice we make lands on someone. How we plan a service project, decide something at work, help a neighbor, or choose our words in a tense moment affects other people, whether we intended it or not.
The fourth question of the Four-Way Test asks: Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Notice what it doesn’t ask. It doesn’t ask whether it’s beneficial to me. That question we ask automatically. Nobody needs a reminder! This one asks whether it benefits everyone involved, and that’s the question we tend to skip when we’re in a hurry.
Sometimes the answer is obvious. Often, though, it isn’t, and in those situations, we need to slow down and think harder.
Our service projects teach this better than anything. A successful project isn’t measured by how much we accomplished or how good we felt doing it, it’s measured by whether it actually met the community’s needs, respected local knowledge, and left something that lasts. The same standard applies to our everyday decisions; the stakes just aren’t as obvious.
Your challenge for the next two weeks
Before making a decision, ask yourself:
- Who’s actually affected by this, and have I thought past the obvious people?
- Will this create a positive outcome for others, not just for me?
- Am I weighing the long-term impact, or just the immediate result?
- Will this leave the situation better than I found it?
Each day for the next two weeks, before making a decision, ask yourself: Will this be beneficial to all concerned?
Series Conclusion
That’s the whole Four-Way Test, really. Four short questions: is it the truth, is it fair to all concerned, will it build goodwill and better friendships, and will it be beneficial to all concerned? Four questions that take just a minute to recite at the end of a meeting, but can take a lifetime to master.
The world changes one thoughtful choice at a time, and Rotary has always bet on exactly that.