Crossroads in life are a given. We all face them at one point or another. Which way do I go? What decision should I make? How will this decision impact tomorrow – or the rest of my life?

I’ve struggled with making decisions all my life. I tend to over-analyse then get stuck in the process, aka analysis-paralysis.

One of the best books I’ve read to help me get unstuck is The Next Right Thing, by Emily P. Freeman. In it she says something like, “To not make a decision is a decision.”

This hit me right between the eyes.

My non-decision was not only holding me back from what could be. It was limiting the potential blessings to me and those around me.

Here are the practical steps I take now:

1. Get out of my feelings. The chaos and stress from what decision to make starts spinning like a rain cloud above. I have to choose to move across town under a clear sky (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally.)


2. Get out of my head. That same cloud is now a hurricane with words and thoughts attacking from every direction. Breathe. I change my environment and do something creative to distract my mind. Then I’m able to go back to the decision with a clear slate. 


3. Pay attention to my gut. For many people this is second nature but for me this doesn’t come easy. Your gut is not the feels, and it’s not what’s logical. It’s that innate reaction you get to something – staying in tune to your body and that deep voice inside. As a Christ-follower, I also have the priceless benefit of leaning on the all-knowing Holy Spirit which takes off all the pressure. 


4. Talk with God. Some people say pray. I look at it as talking to a friend, but a friend that knows everything about me and will guide me accordingly. When I ask Him, He always answers. (Silence can be an answer too. It might mean, not yet.)


5. Act. Even if my feelings and my mind do not align, I do the next thing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned that has impacted my life the most is that feelings do NOT lie. They’re important. They carry the same value as my thoughts and my gut, so when one is rocking the boat I do not get alarmed.

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Original story written October 19, 2011

Today is the first day of the rest of my life! Isn’t that how the saying goes? Well, today really is a new day for me. Out of my normal routine I am forced to look at my future and what I will make of it.  I have put aside this business for another for the past year or so and am now faced with what’s next. What now? Put my all into this business? Find another job?

My brother recently said to me “You have a deck of cards handed to you in life. It’s up to you whether you want to play your hand and take necessary risks or keep your hand hidden and stay in the fold” or something like that. Ok, I know, I’m full of clichés, but really, doesn’t this make sense? Am I going to sit around and let other people make my life decisions? No way!

I cherish the opportunities that have been given me and will embrace the doors that open to me. So here I come. Watch out world. Life has so many uncertainties but this girl knows one thing: it’s up to me to move forward and embrace what God has given me.

I’ll keep you posted…

Today’s fashion statement: She was like a general, obsessed by the desire to win. -Maurice Sachs