Not right now
Humans argue with the lack of certainty in life continuously. For some reason, we think that knowing what is going to happen is a better alternative. But pre-thinking what is going to occur causes anxiety also. Predicting who is going to argue about what at the Thanksgiving table seems like a blood sport. The participants who remain silent to avoid the fray suffer as much as those who engage with forked tongues. If that was applied to everyday life, lots of us would not attend meetings, shop for undergarments, go to parent-teacher night or gamble in Vegas. There goes the fun. Now consider the number of choices that had to be made to end up at this exact moment. Thousands every day, hundreds of thousands every year and maybe a million in a lifetime. And here we are together. If any of those choices had been made differently, would we still be right here? The weight of that fact of life is staggering so let’s shrink it. Choices matter. The decision of what to do next is squarely in front of you. That is really the only one that matters in this moment. Put on some light gear. A skirmish is just a little battle, but it is great practice for learning how to move ahead in a direction that is chosen. That is this week’s task. Choose smallish decisions and check the consequences. If they steered you well, keep finding the wind.
You are Extraordinary!
Week 17: Don’t go overboard
The realization that all choices matter has depth because it can create regrets. But even choices that now make you cringe are helpful. They are the ones that seeded the growth. You may have looked back on those as ones to quickly forget but that forfeits the lesson if done too soon. Adults are wisely advised not to make any hasty changes in life after a major event. This is largely due to the automatic nature of a replacement path as a result. These might not seem like self-choices, but humans lean into them to conserve energy. Giving in is easier. If you can muster up a pausing moment when faced with your next choice, take it. Eventually it may become more natural to string these together.
