Choices—we make so many of them everyday. Ask yourself ... What kind of
choices are you making for your life? Are the ones you’re making working
for you? Or are they negative ones you typically regret?
First of all, you always have a choice—in every situation in life. If
you are finding yourself in situations where you think you do not, then
you’re missing something vital. If that’s your situation, then before
you focus on choices, it would probably be worthwhile to explore the
reasons you’re not seeing yours.
Every day, every moment—life hands us choices. It’s up to us to make
them wisely and make them work for us. If you’re unhappy with your life
or a particular situation you find yourself in, then it’s in your best
interest to examine the choices you’ve been making up to this point and
start making better ones. In other words, if you’re unhappy with any
situation in your life—start making better choices!
Examining Choices
1. Recognize and study your choices.
Even when you believe you don’t have a choice, you do. My favorite
analogy comes from my sky time. When I’m serving the meals and run out
of one, my statement to the next passenger is: If you’d care for lunch
(or dinner) today, I can offer you the pasta. The passenger usually
asks, “Don’t I have a choice?” or “Do you have anything else?” I reply,
“I’m sorry. We’ve run out of the chicken [other entree]. Would you like
the pasta?” The passenger finally says, “If that’s all you have, I’ll
take it.”
First of all, he most certainly does have a choice. It is: Eat or don’t
eat. Secondly, if the airlines boarded 100% of each meal so that every
passenger could have his first choice, you would have paid a lot more
for your ticket and we’d be wasting an obscene amount of food. Thirdly,
if it was up to me, you would always get your first choice since the
last thing in the world I want to deal with at 36,000 feet is a
disgruntled passenger who might throw a tantrum or be unpleasant over
something fairly trivial.
2. Consider your circumstances at all times.
If you’ve had your heart broken before, and your love interest is
someone
who is going through a divorce, is extremely depressed or negative, has
an obviously unstable personality, etc, you still have to think of
YOU. If it's m ore than you can handle.... Say no and walk away. Don’t be
afraid you’ll never connect with them again. Wait for all the lovely
surprises that life will surely bring your way when the time is right.
3. Appreciate the positive.
Let’s say you’ve made a choice you regret now. Perhaps, you went into an
uncertain relationship with someone who turns out to have excessive
baggage. That he or she inspired loving feelings in you is a good thing.
You know you can and are ready to love again. Or maybe you accepted a
new position that is all wrong for you. Make plans to leave the job,
knowing that you can interview well and impress a potential employer.
See and appreciate the gift of every situation, but know whether it’s a
good choice for you. If something doesn’t feel right to you or will take
you places you don’t want to go, then you already know what to do: walk
(or run!) away. You might not want to do it, but do it anyway. You’ll
save yourself a lot of negativity and maybe even some tears.
4. Be true to you.
If you know what you want—have even the faintest idea—don’t compromise
yourself or your beliefs. He may be funny and interesting—even seem like
a good person. However, if you’re looking for a real partner who can be
in a healthy give-and-take relationship with you, then do the math. A
hotshot rescue worker who already has four children with an ex-wife and
perhaps another child on the way with his girlfriend probably isn’t your
best bet for attaining your goal of marriage and a family.
5. Look out for you.
Be your own best friend, lobbyist, and advocate by making choices that
work for you. After all, no one has more at stake in you than you.
People with complicated lives are not someone you just need to get to
know better because you see so much potential in them. They are
risks—big risks. If you can play the game and lose and be all right with
it, go for it. If not, continue your search.
Life is all about choices. We make them everyday, moment by moment. If
you need to protect yourself and not go certain places, don’t. It’s that
simple. Don’t set yourself up to go down a path you can neither afford
to travel nor one you would have difficulty navigating. Yes, you might
have to spend some lonely times in your own company and wonder again why
you’re the only person in the group that doesn’t have a partner.
However, the alternative could be much worse than you could imagine. And
don’t make choices when you’re feeling lonely, impatient, or desperate.
Wait until you’re in a better frame of mind.
You’re the only person who can truly look out for you and make sure that
all of your needs are being fulfilled. Do it. You’ll be glad you did.
It’s been said many times before: Life is what you make it.
Need more information about Making Choices ? Try a Google
Search!
