The Simple Choices

I try, whenever possible, to sit back and reflect on life and all that takes place. It's really pretty interesting, when you consider how life unfolds before us based on simple, small choices we make everyday. Very often, we focus our energy on the big decisions...the ones that lead to a major move or career change, or perhaps a decision to give up old habits in favor of healthier ones. These are important choices to consider, and should give us pause. Generally, when faced with big decisions, we take some time and really consider what we think about the options. These are powerful, often life-changing decisions that deserve all the time and attention we give them. More than likely, they deserve more than we give them.

Of equal importance, and perhaps even more powerful, are the little choices we make each day. These are the choices that reflect our true values. These choices are the ones that are indicative of who we are as people. These are the choices that define who we are and prepare us for what we will do in the face of the bigger decisions. These are the choices we make when there is no "stage" or "audience" to speak of...we act as we do because its who we are, not because it's who we want others to think we are. These are the choices that offer us a glimpse of our soul...

These little choices are powerful agents of change, too. They add up to comprise our life's direction. We don't often have the perspective or foresight to fully understand, or even to slightly understand, the impact these little choices will have on the shaping and direction of our life path. But they open some doors and close others without us even realizing it, most of the time. The moments that we see actually see a door open or see on close are few and far between and are the result of thousands of unseen doors opening and closing as a result of these choices.

Without this foresight or perspective, how do we move forward with any sense of direction? Well, I guess for me, it's all about knowing yourself. Kind of like somebody who's good in an interview. If you know yourself, you aren't going to give a bad interview...you are going to answer the questions well, whether or not you're fully prepared. So few people know themselves that those that do generally outshine those that don't in these situations. It's the same thing in life. If you know yourself, your small choices are consistent in the values they reflect...and they build a strong, overarching value system that supports you as you make the tougher choices in life.