Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths. In our life many roads would come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

There are no guarantees.

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent.  There are too many possible outcomes, which your really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveler or an accidental tourist of life.  But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:

Get as many information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option.

Trust yourself and make that decision.

Now that you have assessed your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions are always at hindsight.  So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.


Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems. But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own life. Whether it is the right decision or not, only time can tell. But do not regret it whatever the outcome. Instead, learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

Are You Happy With What You See, When You Look in the Mirror?

By A Horton

When you look at yourself in the mirror in the bathroom every morning, do you like what you see? Do you feel satisfied and content that the person staring back at you is living a life of meaning and fulfilment, in all areas of their life? Are you asking yourself questions like, "How did I get here" and then not liking the answer or the picture you get in your mind? Yes I am sure that there are areas in your life that are working and you are on track, but I am sure that there are areas in your life, which you feel could be improved.

The secret to start moving your life back in the direction you want it to go, is to realise that the areas of your life, which are unsatisfactory, did not become like that in an instant. You did not go to sleep one night with everything on track and wake up the next morning in a very different place. The way our lives go off track, is as a result of one small bad decision at a time. The gradual decline in our lives is the result of numerous poor decisions repeated over a very long time.

Does your Tyre have a Slow Puncture?
The flat tyre we experience in our life is the result of a very slow puncture and very seldom the result of a blow-out. The slow leaks of air from your tyre, every day or rather the poor decisions, where you felt it was better to enjoy pleasure in the moment and to watch 5 hours of television every night, rather than reading and educational, inspirational or transformational book. All add up over time into the unsatisfactory results you get to enjoy.

So if your tyre is flat because of years of neglect and poor decisions, today is the day to finally make a better choice and to choose to replace the tyre, with a new version. One, which will make better choices and eliminate all bad choices, one which will apply daily discipline to everything they do and slowly pull their life back on track. You can't change the fact that the tyre has gone flat or even the way it went flat, but you can choose to replace the tyre and make better choices from this moment forward.

Reverse the Damage
The beauty of this process, where you slowly moved yourself off track, with consistent poor decisions and got yourself into a place you did not like. Is that it does not only work to destroy, it can also be used in a positive fashion to build too. Make the right decision today and remove your need for instant gratification, accept that by delaying your gratification and introducing a dose of daily discipline, you can gradually pull your life back on track.

My message today is really simple. If you are not happy with the person, who stares back at you in the mirror every morning, then it is time to make that crucial shift away from neglect and consistent poor choices, towards daily discipline and positive activity. Do not wait until your tyre is completely flat, before you begin the journey to get your life back on track. Make a positive choice right now and use the very gradual process, which got you into the place you hate, to slowly and inexorably move you back on track. Those daily positive actions, when repeated over time will gradually re-inflate your tyre and put you on the path of success and meaning.

Action Idea:

• Know what you want
• Examine your life. "Do you have that in your life right now"?
• If you do not, then examine your daily routine. Is it aligned with what you want?
• If not introduce a few new daily habits to support your vision and goals.
• Keep taking action, every day.
• Measure your progress
• Reward your progress
• Gradually pull your life back on track

This process is really simple to do, but unfortunately, it is also easy not to do. Make the choice to finally get your life back on track. Make the few crucial changes you need to make today and over time you will gradually evolve into the person you want to be.

Hi my name is Andrew Horton; I am an inspirational Speaker, Master Teacher, Radio and TV Host, Global Traveler and Author. My area of focus is in the field of human behavior, expanded awareness and enlightenment. I travel the planet constantly researching, learning and seeking ways to unlock the mysteries of the human mind. I delve into the inner workings of the universe, always looking for ways to understand my role in making things better and contributing to the improvement of the human experience. Please visit my website to sign up for a daily inspirational message, by following this link Daily Inspirational Message. This is your daily call to action, a reminder to do things better each day. Visit my website at http://www.andrewhorton.co.za

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