There are three constants in life…
change, choice and principles.
Your life is all about the choices and decisions you make. Life is like a road. There are some long roads and some short ones. Some smooth or rocky roads, crooked or straight. In your life you will stumble onto many roads, and a few you will choose intentionally. One may lead to fame and/ or fortune, while another leads to isolation or poverty. How do you choose which ones to travel, and which ones to avoid? Well, the first thing to get rid of is any notions about guaranteed success or failure. There are no guarantees!
You may have some general idea where a particular road should lead you, but you do not really know for certain where you will end up. There are no guarantees. And there are often just too many variables, not to mention other people involved, to be able to have absolute control over any kind of ultimate outcome.
Likewise, everyone makes some wrong decisions. Wrong decisions are always at hindsight. If you had known that you were making a wrong decision, hopefully you would have chosen some other alternative. Perhaps not. It is only after you have made a decision and had time and space to reflect upon it can you gague its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong, since you didn’t land where you expected or get what you desired.
So how do you choose?
Accept risk. Decide.
In light of the fact that life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision could be wrong until you have made it and committed to it, then you may as well accept the risk and decide. It is usually better to start in some direction, than to remain in limbo. While it is certainly true that one wrong turn may get you lost, it could also be that such a turn presents an opportunity for an adventure, leading to more open roads. Ultimately, it is all a matter of perspective. You always have the choice between being a lost traveler or an accidental tourist of your life. But, I am not suggesting that you throw caution to the wind, or make decisions haphazardly or unadvisedly. Taking risks is not about being careless or stupid. Taking a calculated risk involves more than throwing darts at a board. There are steps you need to take to make the best decision with the best information at hand.
Be informed!
You cannot really have any confidence in making your decision if you have no information about the choices. Just as any good reporter would tell you, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved in the opportunity? When did/ will this happen? Where is this heading? Why do you find yourself in this particular set of circumstances? These are just a few of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Often, the reason for indecision is a lack of solid information about the situation.
What are the options?
What are the options provided by this situation? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are too numerous to count. How do you usually feel or respond when a situation seems to offer no options? Once you get through squirming and whining about it, this is the time to put yours creative mind work. Entertain a very idea that pops into your mind. Sometimes the more outrageous an idea, or the bigger the stretch is for you, the better the result.
Look carefully at the pros and cons of every option.
Assess every option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you can gain more insights into the possible consequences of each of the options.
Trust yourself and make a step!
Now that you have reviewed, and assessed, and pontificated and separated the facts from the fallacies and the wheat from the chaff, the time has come to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees in life, and wrong decisions are born in hindsight, which they say is 20-20.
So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time with the information you have available.
Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: the good, bad and ugly. It may take you to a place of promise or problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a passive bystander in your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell you for certain. But do not get mired down in regret, regardless of outcome.
Every single experience that you have in life is a golden opportunity to learn. And if you learn, there is always a chance that you can make better decisions in and for your future.
Thoughts?
Photo Credit: pawpaw67 via Compfight cc
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