Don’t Be Too Afraid to Make Decisions

One thing people often struggle with is knowing what is right for them. It can be hard enough to know the answer in small and mundane things, let alone the big decisions in life.

Are you someone who would thrive in a fast-paced career, or would you actually be happier in a comfortable and easy job, allocating more time to your hobbies, and prioritizing comfort over money and challenges? Are you really someone who belongs in a big, bustling foreign metropolis that you’ve always dreamed of, or would you feel more content in the small town you grew up in?

It’s not necessarily easy to know, especially when you’re young and relatively inexperienced in life. Sometimes the best thing to do is to simply try and see if something is right for you.

One thing you don’t want to do, though, is waste your life wondering whether you should do this or that, and never take action.

You are you – don’t worry about other people

What most of us tend to do is worry about what other people think and subconsciously make decisions based on what would make others happy or make us look better. Neither is a very good reason, but I’ve heard it many times.

So many people choose their careers and lifestyles at least partly based on what their family and friends think. Some never get rid of the guilt of not choosing the path their parents wanted them to take, and that’s just sad.

You have just as much right to choose what is right or cool as anyone else. Don’t give up that right and live someone else’s life.

Consider the realities, but don’t let them stop you

Unfortunately, we need money to live and we’re stuck with a mere 24 hours in a day. You probably have a list of other realities you have to deal with.

These are obviously things to take into account when deciding whether you should get a second degree, start a side hustle, or buy your dream house.

Life isn’t all about money though, and as I’m sure you’ve already heard, you don’t need to have everything figured out. If you have figured out what you want, you need to go towards that goal and not let some missing money or a busy schedule stop you.

Live, so that you learn who you are

Possibly the very best way to figure out what is right for you and what would make you happy is to simply live.

Curiously, the answers often come at surprising times and in places where you wouldn’t expect to find them. Last year, I spent a couple of months in Australia, but I felt like I got two years’ worth of life out of it, and I realized so many things about myself there.

Some things I realized when walking around Mt Coot-tha, some while simply staring out the window and looking at the rain hitting a bush outside.

Dare to go out, try new things, and put yourself in situations that you haven’t been in before.

Actively think and process stuff

I feel like one thing people don’t do enough is to really think. I don’t mean the usual thinking, worrying, and pondering that happens automatically in the back of your mind. I mean actually sitting down with yourself, and getting to the bottom of your problems.

All your questions have answers, and all your problems have solutions. It can take years to find them, but they’re there.

I’ve spent the past few months mainly alone at home, and I can’t tell you how healthy it has been. Just thinking, thinking, and thinking some more has changed the way I see my life and my future, and I have a different approach to my work, my writing, and how I spend my time.

So don’t think you can’t find the answers. They’ll come if you search for them.

Don’t regret your past choices

I know this can be hard, but it’s definitely one of the keys to happiness. There are two past choices of mine that I still haven’t come to terms with, but I’m working on it and I try to turn the price I’m paying for those choices into a gift.

Overall, it makes little sense to have regrets. We make the choices we make based on the information we have at the moment. Everything is clearer in hindsight, but it’s not fair to judge your past self based on the extra information and life experience you have now.

Additionally, wrong turns and occasional errors are a part of life. There’s no escaping them, and most people have probably made much bigger mistakes than you’d expect. So do your best not to fret over them too much and dare to make new ones to get forward in life.

Always make the most out of the situation

One important thing to learn in life is to always make the most out of the situation. Perhaps you’re currently regretting your decision to move to another city or not getting a degree in political science. Whatever it is, feeling bad about it obviously isn’t going to change anything.

What you should do, is try to come up with ways to either fix the problem or benefit from the situation in some other way. You could look into moving back, or if that’s not possible, go all in and explore the new city. Or do some extra work while you’re there so that when you finally do get out, you’ll have more in savings.

If you need the degree, go get it now, or see how you can achieve your goals without it. But don’t waste your life feeling bad about the past. Look for the silver lining in every struggle and disappointment, and actively improve your life in whatever way you can.

You can still change everything

You have the power to change your life. While some mistakes can be irrevocable or come with a very hefty price to pay, most of the time they feel bigger than they really are.

It’s best to adopt an attitude of being confident in making decisions. Sometimes you might choose the option that in hindsight is wrong, but so what? That’s life and you can always change things later.

It’s important that you don’t take other people’s opinions too much into account when choosing what to do with your life. What is right for them might be wrong for you and vice versa.

And one more thing: it’s easy to get caught in the trap of constantly questioning whether you should live your life like this or like that. But you should keep in mind that often both options are perfectly good.

Perhaps choosing one of the options would make you a little bit happier than the other one, but it doesn’t do to dwell on the ifs forever. You can’t know what would have happened if you had chosen differently. It could have been a disaster. And life is here and now and it’s precious. You should focus on all the good in your life and live your life instead of wondering what your degree or living situation says about you.