You can do it,
and by “it” I mean any of the options you have before you. Picking one over the others is not a permanent choice, and you can change your mind and go in a different direction if it doesn’t work out. You always have options, even when you feel as if you don’t. Especially when you feel as if you don’t.
Changing course completely, adjusting your sails, riding out a storm, anchoring in still waters: it is all up to you.
You are not defined by any single decision in this life.
Your life is a creation of the hundreds of decisions you make every single day, and the definition of you changes slightly with every single choice you make. You are a work in progress, and you won’t be finished until you draw your last breath.
You will mess up,
and when you do it will be a great learning experience for you. You’ll be much better prepared the next time, when that life-changing opportunity comes around. You’ll thank yourself for making a go of it and failing because it will give you the skill to succeed the second or third or 27th time, when it really counts.
Your heart will be full and your heart will break,
and you’ll look back at both instances with a tear in your eye, thankful for the experience. Neither one is too much for your heart, and you are stronger for knowing this.
People will come into your life and change it
in small and profound ways, and you will do the same for them. People will leave your life slowly or suddenly, and you will learn to let go and be thankful for the time you had together. When you leave the lives of other people, you will learn to do it gracefully.
Money will flow all around you or go straight down the drain.
You will find that you can be happy or sad in both scenarios, and this knowledge will give you the power to always be able to take care of your basic needs.
You will get through this,
whatever “this” is, and you will again see the beauty, the wonder, and the cosmic luck you have to be living right now, in this place, with these choices in front of you.
Choose.Act.Now.
It’s all gonna be okay.
Editor’s note: This post was written with love for all of you who face choices every single day, but it was inspired by three readers who contacted us recently about life-changing choices in front of them. You know who you are, and we wish you clarity and joy with your decisions.
Additional reading:
About Betsy
Lovely. Thank you.
Love it! Words to live by. There’s no such thing as “failure” — just feedback! The “big” decisions you may be facing right may not have as much impact in your life as that “tiny” choice you made ten minutes ago without giving it a second thought! On a whim I decided to go visit Hakone, Japan where I met my soul-mate (THE most important event in my life!); stuff I’ve deliberated over for months turned out to be minor foot-notes in my life. It is a lot less about the point of decision-or even the decision itself-and everything about what you learn from it and how you choose to respond to the results of your actions.
Just think: The decision of “Should I go to the post office first now, or the bank?” may end up having a much larger impact on the course of your life than “Should I take Career Path A or B.”
Tranque, I do think we tend to give a disproportionate weight to certain decisions in our life - and that is to be expected, since it is all subjective. There is a British movie called Sliding Doors from 10 or 15 years ago that explores the life of a woman and two different scenarios that play out depending on whether she makes it to the train on time on a certain day or not. It is of course a formulaic script for a romantic comedy, but it does a good job of showing that most of the time it is all going to be all right in the end.
Love the advice, inspirational, really.
I have never been very good with hang on tightly let go lightly. I always scratch and kick when people leave my life, and it is always so painful for me. Always room to grow…
Eva
Eva, it is always tough to let go. But when we do, new things come in, sometimes better (or at least more appropriate for the current stage of our life) than what we had before. And we have to realize that we serve a similar place in other people’s lives as well. Sometimes we’re the ones to leave to make room for a new person, and sometimes we’re the new guy!
How did you know I needed a pep talk tonight? Genius! Thanks!
Junbug, you weren’t aware of Betsy’s psychic abilities? That’s how they REALLY get the money for their travels; Betsy predicts lottery-winning numbers.
Tranque, most days I do feel like I won the lottery.
Hey, Junebug. I think we all need a pep talk occasionally. I’m glad this one reached you at the right time.
Great pep talk, Betsy!
love this and I am always thinking about how many changes or choices I have made and how they are viewed…I don’t know why I still care what others think about my decisions.