CHOICE
I was delighted to have a conversation with someone recently who made the comment “it’s like everything is pointing me in this direction”. How many times have we thought that, then failed to follow the direction the arrow was facing?
Life if about moving forward. We can never go back and we can never get back time. What we choose to do with the time we are given is what life is all about. When it comes to change, making the CHOICE to not repeat things we have done in the past is where the success lies. Sometimes when we see the options before us, and although we want a different outcome, we choose the path of least resistance. This is an absolutely normal thing for us humans to do, but it is a CHOICE that will keep us exactly where we are.
“IF YOU WANT A DIFFERENT RESULT, MAKE A DIFFERENT CHOICE” has become such a cliché, but there is so much power in it.
There are the easier choices: consciously making the decision to not respond to situations the way we always have, making healthier lifestyle choices, choosing to remove toxic people from your life, deciding to change your routine and get up an hour earlier every day to savor some quiet time. No, I’m not saying these are EASY, just that they are easier than some, and expect that the Universe will test your resolve on all of these.
Then there are more difficult choices. The ones when you make the decision to move towards a goal, or away from something that is not serving you, and then the Universe throws a monkey wrench at you and has you second guessing your resolve. DO NOT EVER make the assumption that this is because you are meant to stop moving along the new path!!! This is EXACTLY where the CHOICE happens! We often mistake this as a ‘sign’ that we should abandon the direction we chose to follow and go back to our old ways. I believe with every fiber in my being that every time this happens we are challenged to pass a test, REPEAT or EVOLVE. This speed-bump often has us feeling that maybe we made a mistake with a decision and the Universe is giving us an opportunity to ‘go back’ for a ‘do over’. There are no ‘do overs’. The past is the past. There is however the opportunity to make corrections and create something new while leaving the old behind us where us belongs.
I remember a phone call I received about a year after my first divorce. My ex-husband called, very distraught, saying he missed me and the kids and us as a family. He wanted to ‘try us’ again thinking it would be ‘good for the kids if they had their family together’ and said he would change and do things differently. He said he still loved me. Monkey wrench. You cannot imagine how tempting this was. I struggled financially, was exhausted as a single parent, and loved the idea of having a family and sharing experiences with the father of my children. I missed his family and the fun times we had shared. There it was, the test. As difficult and tempting as this was, I am so grateful I let go of the fear of the unfamiliar and made the CHOICE to move forward.
When I left my corporate career after 17 years, choosing to follow my passion as a Life Coach and Holistic Practitioner, the Universe, of course, threw something very tempting in my path. I was offered a supervisory position with a large company that paid very well and was quite stable. Again I was being given a CHOICE. Move forward on the path I had chosen that would be difficult but fulfilling, or stay on the road I had been on and never know how my story would unfold. Being comfortable with something I had known for so long and fear of the unknown almost won. Obviously, I AM walking on the new path, and as scary as it is sometimes, I AM so grateful I didn’t ‘turn back’.
I only share these stories as examples of the opportunities we are given. OPPORTUNITIES TO CHOOSE.
YOU control the direction of your life. The Universe WILL test your willpower. It will put obstacles in your path and force you to question what you want in life. We become so comfortable with the familiar, that we mistakenly believe these obstacles are put in our paths to turn us back. We fight the CHOICES we are given, that may make us feel uneasy or scared, but provide us with joy, excitement and guide us towards the life we want for ourselves. DO NOT be tricked into thinking that the new path will be smooth sailing. The new direction will be filled with ‘firsts’, and if you can think back to your childhood, when everything you tried was a ‘first’, there is always a hesitancy with each new adventure. Remember the first time your parents let go of the bike after the training wheels were off. You probably begged them to hang on because you didn’t think you were ready! Afterwards, when you finally rode on two wheels, by yourself, remember the exhilaration and satisfaction you felt and the thought ‘I don’t know why I was so scared, this is fun…I DID IT!”
Pay attention. Big CHOICES and small ones. Just when you get comfortable walking along the freshly graveled new path, without fail, expect that there will be forks in the road (sometimes verging off the new path to even more exciting adventures). The signs will read ‘Past’ and ‘Future’. THE CHOICE IS YOURS. Remember, if it makes you nervous and excites you at the same time, it’s probably the CHOICE for you!
As always, I hope to inspire and motivate with these blogs. I feel so passionate about this topic that I AM actually sweating while I AM typing! Please, notice the CHOICES you are being given and choose wisely. If you falter, it’s OK. We all do it. It’s a life lesson we have to learn for ourselves and it’s only through learning that we start to recognize we are the ones CHOOSING the outcome.
Sharing in the struggle with you all ~Jacquie~
the willow room 