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Life is like a
road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads;
crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our
way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a
life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation.
There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or
isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness
as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and
jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.
Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and
crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you
would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and
with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you
take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one
along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you
are: in front of a crossroad?
There are no guarantees
You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take
it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important
things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing
to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to
happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee
that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not
guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential
superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always
bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent. There
are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control.
The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will
make, and how you would act and react to different situations.
Wrong decisions are always at hindsight
Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you
have gone along with it? 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 that you realize its soundness. If the
consequences or 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 would never know that your
decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as
well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than
keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn
could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an
opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all
a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost
traveller or an accidental tourist of life. But 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 in the face of life’s crossroads:
Get as many information as you can about your situation
You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little
about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask
the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. 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.
Identify and create options
What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are
few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you
think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that
you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most
simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not
shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. 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 and even make
more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that
you make the decision yourself in the end.
Weigh the pros and cons of every option
Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages
it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the
consequences of such an option.
Trust yourself and make that decision
Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust
yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong
decisions are always at hindsight. So choose… decide… believe that
you are choosing the best option at this point in time. |
