Judge Robert Benham Shares 5 Ways to Maintain Direction and Motivation in Life
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Georgia
Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham initially wanted to become an
insurance agent. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his parents,
who worked for an African American-owned insurance company. But fate
pulled him into the world of juris prudence, where Benham says he
realized “a person could become an instrument of change and help the
less fortunate citizens make the American dream a reality.” Benham was
appointed to Georgia’s highest bench in 1989. From his experience, he
believes there are five ways to maintain direction and motivation in
life.
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1. “The first one is a sense of maturity that requires that you have high principles, high values and high morals.”
2. Develop good memory techniques.
3. Develop analytical tools.
“I think this is the most important one. Because oftentimes, people
don’t develop analytical tools, therefore they are just accumulating a
lot of facts. And by analytical tools I mean, developing the ability
for abstract thought, making logical connections and [the] ability to
transfer knowledge and make generalizations.”
4. Develop an appreciation of consequences.
“This is what we see in so many young men, who have not developed an
appreciation of consequences. This means that whatever situations
they’re faced with, they first must consider what the alternatives are.
They [must] anticipate the consequences of each alternative before
pursuing them.”
5. Develop a sense of culpability.
“Once again, we see a lot of this in young men. By developing a sense
of culpability they must realize there are times when they are wrong. .
They must be willing to accept responsibility for their acts. They must
be willing to ask for forgiveness, then develop some methods [to]
prevent the situation from recurring.”
Justice
Benham believes that through the application of these five tools, young
African Americans will be sufficiently insulated against an adverse,
hostile world and be able to carve out a successful life.
