One thing you can count on about life is that all roads lead to our individual development. There will be lessons for us no matter what path we chose. Therefore, it is so important not to judge the decisions we make proper or improper, correct or incorrect.
Choosing between two rights
Life would be much easier to handle if all of our decisions were between good and evil. It is relatively easy to differentiate these two states of being. For example, we all know the difference between love and hate, violence and peace, kindness and selfishness. What makes life difficult is that our choices are usually between two rights.
For example, your boss offered you a promotion at work that would cause you to move to another state. Both alternatives, to take the promotion or turn it down are excellent choices. Taking the promotion will give you more money and will shake you out of your comfort zone as you take new and higher complexity problems. Turning the promotion down may give you family stability when your kids need a couple of years to finish high school. Both choices are right ones. They are two rights.
Consequences are not negative
You seldom hear the word “consequences” in positive terms. This word is often used to describe some unintended event because of actions taken. The fact is that a consequence is nothing more than the result or effect resulting from a decision made or from an apparent condition. For example, the natural consequence for following a diet is losing weight. Nothing negative about that consequence.
However, there are other consequences that we don’t expect when we act. Keeping with the dieting example, losing weight may cause you to buy a new wardrobe because your old clothes no longer fit well. Anticipating consequences often keep people frozen in inaction.
Postponing a decision is a decision
It is easy to let fear of the unknown bog you down and cause you to delay making a choice, but choosing to delay is a decision in itself that has consequences. I have found that postponing a decision often makes things worse. Delay makes the situation worse, especially if you do it out of fear. This is why many consider procrastinating a disorder. We surmise we are avoiding problems by postponing action when in fact we are making the situation worse.
The best approach to take in life is to understand every decision has their own set of consequences. This means that, no matter what you decide, there will be things you like and others you don’t. So, you might as well evaluate the present situation and take the action that feels right for you.
No decision in life can guarantee everlasting success, joy, comfort, or happiness. There are simply too many unknowns. Have you ever made a decision you assumed would make you happy, and it turned out that it didn’t? Has something or someone forced you to take action you perceived was detrimental to your fortune only to discover that it was the best thing that could have happened? I am sure your answer is yes to both questions.
The only guarantee in life is that you will grow from experiences. This means we can live fearless knowing that no matter what action we take, there will be important lessons to learn as a result.
Remember, paying gratitude for life forward will reward you with joy and contentment.
Photo by Josh Connor on Unsplash
