Can a Simple Decision Change Your Life?
In a word, yes.
I was talking to with a really good friend the other day, one of those soulful, deep conversations, and she asked me “How do you think you’ve created the life you have? You’ve done some really cool things and I want to know how you did them?”
I gave some pause to think about her questions and to try and figure out my own internal process when I realized my answer.
“I simply decided,” I said.
The misleading word of course is “simply”. Often, there is nothing simple about my decision making process at all. I talk about something, stew about something, and toss variations of outcomes over and over in my mind. I think about “it” (whatever “it” might be) while running or brushing my teeth or eating dinner, I weigh the pros and cons, and get anxious about how I’m going to do the “it”.
What I finally figured out for myself is that until I really choose to commit to something I can waffle in the world of indecision and confusion forever. Have you ever felt that way?
I realized that what I need to do is forget all about the “how’s” and the “why’s” and just say YES. Simply decide to do “it”. And then, and this is extremely important, I have to take some sort of action to lock in my commitment.
And, once I do that things really do seem to fall into place. The “how’s” and the “why’s” that had kept me stuck seem to vanish or get figured out with ease.
It’s almost a formula:
DECIDE to do the thing you’ve been waffling about + COMMIT by TAKING ACTION = ACCOUNTABILITY & FOLLOW THROUGH which leads to HAPPINESS & FULFILLMENT
What I also know is that going after the things that I want won’t always be easy. It might mean waking up at 6 am to fit that run in, having to ask for help, saying NO more, or whatever my challenge in the moment might be, but in the end it will be worth it because I will be living my life and moving forward.
I would love to hear what you’ve been waffling and what’s keeping you stuck. What do you want to decide just to say “yes” to? Please leave a comment below!
Coming here late, but I have one of these. I’ve been wanting to quit my job for over a month so I can work on building up my freelance business. Sitting on that fence, knowing I want to jump but not doing it. Not sure what I’m afraid of, aside from not having a paycheck. Which is a pretty big fear, but I’ve been there before and always been okay. I just need to say yes and do it.
[Reply]
Jennifer Powter Reply:
April 24th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Hey Karrib,
You’re not late at all – this site just became public on Wednesday. I wrote these blog posts a while back and then had to get over my fear of having people read them which meant I procrastinated over things I needed to do to get this site ready. Finally I built in a “no-turning back” commitment which motivated me to finally get this done AND I’m super happy I did. So you’re right, just saying yes and doing it is very powerful.
I also so understand that feeling of wanting to jump but not doing it – then comes the frustration part because (if you’re like me) you’re not happy doing what you’re doing and then you get annoyed with yourself for not “jumping”. I had to figure out what would make the landing “soft” for me. What might that look like for you? Keep me posted with how the job thing goes
Thanks for commenting – means a ton!
Jen
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Hi Jen. Just spent some time reading all the posts on your new blog and really enjoying ALL of it! Looking forward to more.
I’m a major waffler and I’ve literally spent the past NINE YEARS mired in indecision. My life has steadily gone downhill after losing a business I started. I’m now working hard to snap out of it and your posts are definitely speaking to me. Thanks.
Shannon´s last blog ..Melancholy
[Reply]
Jennifer Powter Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Hey Shannon,
Great to meet you and thanks for your comment. It’s crazy isn’t it? It’s so easy to waste time worrying about what the “right” thing do to is that we never actually do anything. I know for me I’d rather try and fail than stay stuck — it sounds like you’re taking some major steps forward after going through some tough stuff these past few years. It means a lot that my posts were speaking to you, thank you. I’ll keep writing (one of the things that kept me stuck was thinking that everything I wrote sounded dumb, or no one would find it interesting or useful…). I’m heading on over to your site now!
Jen
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