A matter of choice. Making decisions in everyday life
Choices or decisions lead us in different directions.
We all know of stories, parables or fables where the hero meets a fork in the road and has to make a choice on which way to go.
The way they go affects what happens to them, and the life they then experience.
Like it or not, our own choices, on a simple, everyday level, lead us in our direction.
It can be hard to make choices. We may not feel strong enough, good enough or wise enough to know what to do.
Like it or not, our lives are a result of the many choices we make, moment by moment.
Every day I work around people who have both made choices (sometimes ill advised ones) or gone with the flow, living the moment without making a choice.
Mindfulness, being in the moment, can help us look at these moments and decide to be, do, and act (make choices) that serve us well. We always have a choice – to do, or not do, decide, or not decide. Either way, every choice we make has a result. Energy always has a cause and an effect.
It’s a lot easier to make better choices, when we know what we want, or where decisions are likely to take us. Being informed gives us more detail on which to base our decision.
Sometimes we just have to make a clear choice on where we are on topics and big moments. It’s like setting up our decision store. We make it once, and it’s ours for as long as we choose to live with it.
Do you make a choice or leave it to chance?
Most of us make choices every day. Sometimes we’re not convinced we’ve made a choice. Or we think our choice is to go along with others. Is this really a definitive decision, or an inability to choose for ourselves?
We won’t be in control if we leave decisions in the hands of others.
Often we feel at the mercy of other people’s decisions for us (as in my place of work at HMP). People get angry when others have influence over their future lives. But really, the important decisions, on how our future pans out, happens long before.
The key is to notice these big moments and rely on our choices to steer us through.
It’s not great to feel a lack of choice in how we live, but the truth is, our present lives are based on decisions we’ve made in the past.
The decisions we make, small as they might seem, roll on and on until eventually the small become the bigger, and the bigger become huge, until life puts us at another crossroads.
No- one wants a life based on chance. We all like to know what’s around the corner, though some of us are more comfortable with the adventure, the danger of uncertainty or a roll of the dice.
Our life choices, from the people we hang out with, to the lifestyle we keep are all based on the kind of stuff we want in our lives.
My children used to laugh at my decision making. It was mostly a one-and-done affair. I’d decide what action resonated with my values and the life I wanted to life and it governed my future actions. They knew where they were with me, and the decision-done saved a lot of future choice making later.
How’s your decision making system? Have you made good choices for your life?
- Have your choices been in your best interests?
- Were your decisions based on good values?
- Were they made with your nearest and dearest in mind?
- How have previous choices affected your present and your future?
Only you can answer that one.
We should be regularly checking in with our higher self to ask for guidance on life’s big decisions. Know the cost in decision making – if you do, or if you don’t. Weigh up the repercussions and ripples. Visualise your future when you come to these forks in the road and play out your options to see what resonates with you.
Once you’re clear on your choices, life will be so much smoother.
Would you like me to come and speak to your group, Conference or CPD meeting? Call me on 07899 838726. Details at https://www.geraldinejozefiak.com/speaking