Choose Your Own Adventure
I am writing this blog this morning, and I have several ideas started (when I say several, I mean seven!) - and yet I haven’t completed one of them. Hmmm, I think. Which one is the best one to write? Meanwhile, I have let my morning tick away without finishing my task.
This is a pattern that I see often for me. What is the BEST answer? What is the RIGHT decision? I have fear of future regret. What if I make the WRONG decision and regret it later? What if I write about something that causes others to think badly about me?
This reminds me of a Choose Your Own Adventure book when I was a kid. You read a scenario in the plot, and then are given choices in the plot which directs you to that next page to continue your story. The goal was to get to the BEST outcome by weighing out the options. How often in life do I sit stuck on a page?
Once I recognize I am at this point, here are some things that help me move forward:
Weight vs wait. Some decisions are larger than others and have more implications. Does my weighing of options match the wait time that it is taking for my decision? What is a reasonable amount of time before I take action?
Head, Body, Bed. Once I have used my head to logically think about options, I like to think about it from a body or center level. What is my gut telling me to do? If I still don’t know, then I check – is now the right time to make the decision? If I am sensing that now is not the time to make the decision - this is bed. I need to sleep on it.
Trusting myself. Trust yourself that your decision is based on what you know at this time given the situation.
Once I have and know the next step, what is really holding me back from taking it? Is there something I need to say, a conversation I need to have? Am I worried about hurting someone else even though I know this is what feels right to me? This is where I remind myself that everyone has their own Choose their Own Adventure book and choices they can make (stay tuned for another blog just on this – the fear of hurting others). If we all stay stuck on pages out of fear, no one is moving onto their true adventure.
10 seconds of bravery. I remind myself of this often when I become fearful about taking a next step. All I need are ten seconds of bravery to start moving forward to the next page.
The purpose is the pages. We have all heard this “It is the journey not the destination”. This is so true! Life is about learning, love, and laughter. It is that adventure of turning the page to see what is next, whatever that may be. Take time to determine what is really important to you in your life (see blog here on how to do this) then revisit it often.
There, my 10 seconds of bravery is now complete, and I am one page further in my adventure to help you cultivate what really counts in yours. Happy page turning!