Change Your Life

We have all found ourselves at crossroads… I have a familiar way of thinking about times like this. Does this sound familiar?

• Left? Right? Forward? Backward? Straight? Zig Zag?
• Retreat? Charge? Climb up? Slide down?

What do we do? We host a plethora of decisions. The bible called it the valley of decisions. (Joel 3:14) Decisions. Decisions. In the flash of emotion, we choose. At the lowest point of the moment, we make a choice that may not be good. Without analyzing, considering options, or putting it to bed to wait for a better time to decide, the result we live with is the one we’ve not thought through.

It’s tough to make good choices in that moment or space of indecision.

When you’ve made many choices in life, and for the most part, they are reasonable, it’s easier to stand in the valley of decision and make a choice that may be the correct decision. You have a history of standing upon. Equally, you can see the results and weigh the present dilemma differently.

Go With It

We were behind a red car at a stop sign, and the driver was not taking advantage of the break in traffic to move. Which way? There were only two choices. Left or right. Make a choice. I don’t care which.

I got out of the car and walked to the driver’s seat. A young blond lady was sitting slumped over and drooling. Asleep? Was she passed out? I’m not sure. Her car was in gear, and her foot was on the brake. I tapped the window several times, and finally, she dazedly looked up and around. “Who’s making that racket?” She sees me, rolls down her window, and I ask if she’s okay. Sure. Then without a moment of hesitation, she zooms forward, through a turn, and immediately into the ditch on the other side of the stop sign. I run over, and she’s just sitting, foot on the pedal, and driving as if she’s moving on down the road. But she was stuck.

Driving stuck without a care in the world!

Several guys stop, and they get her on the road. Not one time did she take her foot off the gas pedal. Zoom! She’s gone! She exhibited no change from a few moments before. Instead of helping her make a good choice, they enabled her state of mind and watched her speed away. Who knows what became of her?

Making Choices

Choices are many, options are varied, and the times demand we make the best of any personal challenge we face. We’ve allowed the times to create our response to C-19. Some are scared/safe and stay home, while others don’t go anywhere because of personal health needs. At the same time, I watch those who continue to travel the world making their way through these times. Caustiosly. As safe as possible, but not letting these times dictate their response.

How are your choices working out for you?

From healthy to bad choices, we choose from the point of emotional response or lack of valid options. At least we think so. When the head lemming heads for the cliff, do you have to join in and leap into space? Or can you edge to the sidelines and consider the choice.

Sometimes you have no time to make better selections, and you are forced to live with the results of the single choice you take.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
Luke 14:28-30 NKJV

After our kids were born we did not make many choices that did not give us a pause to consider the results that would affect those innocents down the road and through the years. As we age we are making decisions based on our health and financial status. There’s not much time to make up for the loss of choosing incorrectly, so we spend more time analyzing the cost beforehand.

Must You Live With Your Choices?

For the most part, this is really crucial. You don’t have to live with your first choice. As a friend used to say in the sales business… Next! If something doesn’t work out, then switch gears, change directions, start over, pick yourself up and dust off the failure.

Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.
~Winston Churchill

No matter how many times you make a bad choice, work hard to make better choices the next time! When will that be? Maybe even the next second! Are you ready?