Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

Life is a road. It may be long or short; smooth or rocky; crooked or straight, but you’re on a journey. Occasionally, you reach a crossroad. With a choice to make and no guarantee where the road leads, which road do you choose?

There are no guarantees.

You will not know where a road will lead until you take it. There is no guarantee the choices you make will lead to happiness, fame, fortune or contentment. There are always circumstances beyond your control. You only control decisions you make, and your response to what happens.

Wrong decisions are seen in hindsight.

If you knew you were about to make an unwise decision, would you continue? Perhaps not—though certain destructive behaviours work that way. Why decide if you knew from the start it was incorrect? It is only after you have decided and experienced the consequences that you realize the decision was right or wrong. If the outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you won’t know if your decision will be wrong until you have made it, take the risk, and decide. It is better than going nowhere because you can’t make up your mind. One wrong turn might get you lost. However, it could lead to opportunity or new roads. It is all a matter of perspective.

However, do not make you decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that can help you choose the best road:

• Learn as much as you can about your situation. The less you know about your situation, the more difficult it is to make a confident decision. Ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who is involved? How did it happen? Where is it leading? Why are you in that situation? These are some of the questions to ask to learn more about your situation. This is a crucial step. It’s difficult to move forward if you don’t know where you are.
• Identify and create options. What options does the situation give you? If you can’t find options, create your own. From the simple to the complex, examine all ideas. Your most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end.
• Weigh each option. Assess each option by looking at the pros and cons. In this way, you gain some insight into the consequences of each option.
• Trust yourself and make a decision. Now that you have assessed your options, trust yourself. You won’t know the outcomes until you move on a decision.

Once you have decided, face its outcomes: good or bad. The road chosen may take you to a place of opportunity or to a land of difficulties. The important thing is that you have chosen to live actively, instead of being a passive bystander. Do not regret the outcome. Instead, learn from it and make better decisions in the future.