Every day, we make decisions—some small, some life-changing. Often, we don’t realize how much our choices reflect what truly drives us: urgency, empathy, fear, or self-preservation.

Imagine this:

You’re in an office building elevator, standing at the control panel with three others. The doors are about to close when you see a man struggling with a large, awkward box, running toward you. You hesitate—should you hold the door or go?

Before you decide, the guy behind you yells, “OH, COME ON!” and shoves you aside, slamming the button to close the door.

Two people. Same situation. Completely different choices.

What was each person concerned with? Their own meeting? Time pressure? Helping someone else?

This moment isn’t just about an elevator—it’s about the way we make decisions, sometimes without even realizing what’s driving them.

The Driver’s Dilemma

As a bus driver, I faced these moments daily. Sometimes, decisions were routine. Other times, they had life-altering consequences.

One night, I made a choice that could have ended my life.

It was a cold, rainy night in Vancouver, around 3 AM. I was driving alone, heat cranked up, trying to stay warm. Just past the railway tracks on Renfrew Street, a man waved desperately for a ride. I was the last bus of the night.

I stopped.

He climbed in, coat zipped tightly to his neck. Flat voice. No emotion.

“You go downtown?”

“No, I turn around before then.”

“I gotta go downtown now.”

Something in his tone shifted. My internal alarms went off.

I turned on the charm.

“Hey, I know that’s a drag, but where I let you off, the last #10 comes by in about 5 minutes.”

“I told you, I gotta go downtown. NOW.”

Concern turned to fear. I needed an exit.

“Look, bud, I’ll give you a whole book of transfers—give them away, use them however you want. How’s that sound?”

His tone changed. “A book?”

“You bet. This is where you wait for the 10.”

He got off. I exhaled.

Minutes later, a black Camaro screeched to a stop in front of my bus. Two big guys banged on my front door.

POLICE.

“You just picked up a guy by the tracks? You supposed to do that?”

“No…”

“DON’T EVER DO THAT AGAIN. Did he undo his jacket?”

“No.”

The officer exhaled. “Guess not, then. Under that jacket, he was covered in blood. He just killed someone. “DO NOT EVER PICK SOMEONE UP BETWEEN STOPS.”

I was shaken to my core. And for the rest of my career, no matter the time of day, no matter how desperate someone looked, I never picked up anyone outside a stop again.

What Drives Our Decisions?

That decision—to never stop again—was fueled by fear.

But we all make choices based on different emotions:

• Urgency—like the guy in the elevator, pushing ahead without thinking.
• Compassion—like holding the door, hoping to help.
• Self-preservation—like my hard rule as a driver after that night.

🚪 How do you make tough decisions? Do you tackle them head-on, driven by instinct?
Or do past experiences shape your actions before you even realize it?

One small choice can define your path. What drives yours?