The Process of Choice
“When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” – Margaret Drabble
Life can be a confusing place.
We’re constantly presented with choices.
Have you ever thought about that?
How we’re making decisions all day long... from the time we wake up, right to the time when we fall asleep.
Some of them easy enough, like what to fix for breakfast.
Others can be quite difficult...the complexity of the situation seeping into our bones and weighing us down.
So what do we do when we find ourselves at a crossroad like this?
How do we know which way to turn...which choice will be the best one for us?
Because the best road may not always clear.
Clarity will come to us through stillness and simplicity.
We’ll be able to find the answers to all of life’s questions if we can embody those two things.
Here’s what I think that looks like in the real world:
Getting Quiet
Sometimes when we are presented with a fork in the road and we aren’t sure which way to turn…our minds begin to race, trying to anticipate all possible outcomes.
Our minds are like machines and sometimes they can become incredibly loud!
So loud, in fact, that we aren’t able to hear what our hearts are trying to tell us.
When we work on quieting and settling the mind, we open up a space of stillness.
It’s within this space that our thoughts begin to clear and we begin to hear our hearts again.
Staying Present
Piggybacking off of how far our minds can spin us…sometimes our minds can become hyper focused on past events.
Or…on the other side of that coin, they can spin up elaborate stories of “what-ifs”.
Things that may or may not ever actually happen in real life.
When we’re trying to make major life decisions, it’s so important that we move from a place of reality.
The only way to do that is to stay focused on where you are right now, in this present moment.
Having Gratitude
Regardless of what life throws at us, there is always something that we can be grateful for.
Find that thing and hold onto it.
Even if it’s something as simple as being grateful that you woke up this morning.
Or that you find beauty in a sunset, or in a blooming flower.
It may sound cliché, but gratitude is one of the highest emotions that we can tap into.
When we do tap into that high vibrational energy, it works as a magnet drawing more of the same back to us.
Which in turn, helps us move from a heart centered space and not a space of fear, pain or sorrow.
Trusting in the Good
I believe that people are intrinsically good at their core.
And that even with all of the hardships that we face, we will always have the opportunity to trust in the goodness of people and the goodness in life.
Practicing Patience
When we’re moving along on our path and everything feels in flow we build up momentum...
...and when we hit life’s speedbumps, that momentum slows and sometimes even stops completely.
It’s so easy to want to get that momentum back again quickly…but there’s something to be gained within that space of halted limbo.
That time when we’re faced with a decision and we haven’t quite yet decided which way to go.
That’s the space where we learn.
Not in what comes afterward, good or bad…but within the limbo itself.
For that’s the space where we have to decide who we are.
What kind of person we want to become.
So be patient with yourself and trust in your heart.
And remember, it’s ok to not know what the best move is, all of the time.
Because life isn’t about the outcome…it’s about the lessons we learn along the way.
Take heart and trust in the process.