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At the Crossroads Bridging Decisions

We are Always Choosing New Paths

By Chris Dunmire, CurrentLiving.com

The journey of life presents us endless opportunities for making many daily decisions. They range from the mundane: when to get up, what kind of shampoo to use, what to wear, and what to eat, to bigger more important decisions that structure our lives and affect our well-being: who to marry, where to live, where to work.

The bigger decisions are tough at times because what we decide can impact our whole life and world view. "Should I keep this job?", "Should I stay in this relationship?", "Should I pursue this drug therapy?" Many struggle at the crossroads of such decisions — fearful of making the wrong choice and suffering dire consequences because of thinking once a decision is made it's set in stone. Not thinking they can follow up with another appropriate decision should the first one not work out as expected, some lose faith in their ability to decide what's best for them at a given moment because of fear of the unknown.

One perspective I've appreciated on this matter is that of Phylameana lila Desy, About.com's Holistic Healing Guide:

“Over the years I have counseled many clients about decisions they are faced with. Most often they have been either relationship or job related. Normally the problem I feel they are facing is not in making the decision itself, but more trying to move past the fear of making a wrong choice. I will have them imagine the best and the worst outcomes, scripting the different scenarios for each situation to help weigh out the advantages/disadvantages. I also emphasize that there truly are no wrong choices, only different paths.”

It seems that if we accept the idea that decisions are simply a matter of "a path we choose" before us until the next decision needs to be made, it helps unburden immobilizing fears we have. Additionally, cultivating confidence in our ability to make sound decisions during present circumstances will help us make peace with our decisions after they've been made. •

© 2003, 2008 Chris Dunmire, CurrentLiving.com. All rights reserved. (11/11/08) Please do not duplicate this article elsewhere without my permission.

About the Author | More by Chris Dunmire
Chris Dunmire is engaged in life as an artist, writer, seeker, and publisher of the popular creativity Web site Creativity-Portal.com. Learn more about Chris and her creative projects at ChrisDunmire.com.