![]() I began reflecting about decisions, lessons learned, and about living life. There are many paths you can choose to take in life. There are long and short paths; rocky and clear paths; crooked and straight paths. You will find many paths as you journey through life. Just like any path, there are corners, detours, and crossroads, less traveled paths in life. Perhaps the most perplexing paths that you will encounter are the crossroads and the path less traveled. With four paths to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they will lead you, which path will you take? What is the guarantee that you will choose the right one? Will you take any path to keep moving or just decide to stay where you are out of indecision? If the path seems to disappear, will you give up and turn around? Will you clear your own path and proceed forward? I am getting ready to go on another backpacking trip to North Manitou Island. I am telling you this not to brag but to enlighten you on where my thoughts are in writing today’s article. Last spring, I had made my first trip to the island and experienced quite an adventure. There are some cleared paths on the island and some that are not maintained. My fiance’ and I decided to leave the main path and travel on the less maintained path in search of a smaller lake. This path just disappeared before our eyes! We decided to use our map/compass, and follow some deer paths as we came across them. We were lost in a sense, but it was an island after all! We kept our heading and did find our lake. After filtering water and rehydrating ourselves, we dove into the woods, heading west. We knew we would have to reach our goal the coast of Lake Michigan. We made some poor decisions at times, and at others, we made some good ones. All in all, we had a wonderful adventure and learned many lessons that we will apply to this coming trip! Life’s ‘No Guarantee’ Clause. One of the most important things you need to realize about life is there are no guarantees! You will not really know where a path will lead you until you take it. It has never been said that choosing to do the right thing all the time will always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that love will be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Oftentimes, one does not sustain their set goal after achievement due to this misconception. Have you ever focused all of your attention on your path to your set goal that by the time you reach completion, the achievement seemed short-lived? You have your brief moment of excitement and then looking around your surroundings you realize there are now, more paths branching outwards from your achieved completed goal? You had put all of your focus on that one goal, you had not realized that your personal, professional, or spiritual growth had open up so many more paths for you to choose from. Sustaining your set goal, is not standing your ground, it is choosing to move onward a new path. There are too many possible outcomes, which you really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that YOU will make, and how YOU will act and react to different situations. Wrong Decisions: Learn, Let Go, Live. If you knew you were making a wrong decision, would you? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only AFTER you have made a decision and reflected on it, you are able to realize if it was correct. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong. Learn from your wrong decision making, let go of any guilt since often you would not know unless an attempt was made and live your life more knowledgeably for the experience. Take Action: Decide. Life offers no guarantee and you will never know whether your decision will be wrong until you have made it. You might as well take the risk and decide on a path. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. It is true that one wrong turn can get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure! It is all a matter of perspective. Do take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option when faced with Life’s many branching pathways: Ø ·Gather as much information as you can about your specific situation. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation. Ø ·Identify and create options. What options are available? What do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Put your creative mind to the task at hand. From the most simple to complex solutions, keep an open mind to all ideas. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options, but make sure that YOU make the final decision yourself in the end. Ø ·Assess the pros and cons. Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. You will get more insights about the consequences of each option. Ø ·Trust and have confidence in yourself to make that decision. Knowing that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always in hindsight. So choose a path and believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time. Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good or bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of challenges. The important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a passive bystander. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. Do not regret it whatever the outcome. Learn from it and remember that you always will have the chance to make better decisions in the future.
3 Comments
9/7/2011 10:09:40 am
Yes, plunge ahead, that's the best way to live. Have confidence that whatever happens you're strong and flexible enough to handle it.
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9/7/2011 05:20:58 pm
a famous quote of tony robbins is "everything you want lies outside your comfort zone." There are no guarantees that things will turn out the way you thought they would though it's always more exhilirating to be on the rocky road than a flat road with no challenges. There are times in life we need serenity though to grow we need challenges. I hope you have a wonderful trip. I enjoyed your blog post. Thanks for sharing your insights about life. It's an important subject :-)
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dhydh
9/14/2011 10:56:54 am
Such a great and insightful post. Love this blog. :)
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Cynthia A NahinI live in Southwest Michigan and am excited at being able to create and share this blog with you. I hope you return often as I will provide you with many creative concepts that I have learned and put to practice successfully to achieve my end set goals! Believe me, you can do it, too! Blog Archives
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