How many times have you second-guessed yourself on a decision? Or sat in indecisiveness for weeks because you were afraid of making the wrong decision? So instead you spent countless hours and mental energy debating the options.
This is where my husband and I found ourselves recently. His cancer has progressed and it’s been clear for a while that he needed more comprehensive and aggressive treatment. So we’ve been meeting with different doctors, doing research, getting more tests. All of which take an agonizing amount of time. Just last week after consulting with a doctor in Vienna, we decided to send him there.
Deciding
The actual decision took about 30 seconds to make. Once it was made, we both felt a HUGE sense of relief. More importantly, moving out of indecision allowed us to take action.
How do we know it is the right decision? Because we have decided to believe that there are no wrong decisions. Once you make a decision, you stick to it and follow through. The worst case scenario is you will gain more information and have to make more or different decisions.
Regretting Our Past
Decisions are not like math where there is only one correct answer. Many of us however think of decisions we’ve made in the past like this. We regret or lament the choices we made. We think that if only we had made the correct choice, we’d be more successful, have more money, be better… This is such a waste of time and energy and no good can come of it. Looking at our past with regret over the decisions we’ve made keeps us trapped in a past we cannot change.
I have to admit that once we made the decision to send my husband to Vienna, I thought back over past decisions we had made and felt some regret and frustration with myself. Thoughts of, “we should have done this sooner…” or “we should have been more assertive with our doctors…” None of those thoughts do me any good now except to keep me looking backward. Instead, I can choose to think that all of those past choices led us to this exact moment. It was exactly the way it was supposed to be.
“Wrong” Turns Are Exactly What You Need to Grow
It is our expectation that if only we make all the right turns, our life will turn out so much better. What if it’s the “wrong” turns that are exactly what you need in your life? How many of your best lessons were learned from “bad” decisions? So, why not decide right now that there are no wrong decisions. Each decision is just an opportunity to learn and move forward.
I challenge you to stop procrastinating on that decision you’ve been putting off. Make a decision, have your own back to see it through, and move on.
I enjoy reading through a post that will make people think. Also, many thanks for permitting me to comment!