The Art of Life
Photobucket I'm so glad you're here! "The Art of Life" is where I share my journey as an artist & Momma. It's a place where I hope to encourage other women that they are artists too. In this small little space I seek to share, document, and be reminded of God's wonderful grace, all around us. ....And I would be so happy to have you journey alongside me! So grab a cup of coffee and linger for a while. I hope you leave feeling refreshed. Photobucket

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

When You Can't Decide

~~I recently watched a TED talk that really resonated with me. It helped bring light to a problem I've had since I was a little girl: the problem of making a decision.
We live in a world of endless choices. Never before in history have we had so many options. (I just read that Sonic Drive-In claims to have 398,929 drink and slush combinations!)
And all of these choices are meant to give us more freedom;
right?
But instead they're causing paralysis.

~~All of my life I've struggled with decision-making. I wish that I could be a decisive, driven, determined person. But in order to be driven you have to make a choice and then go for it.
And there is my problem.
~~I was the little girl standing helplessly in front of the ice-cream case.
Do I choose chocolate?
.....or mint chocolate chip?
.....or strawberry?
~~The choice was so hard because I was afraid.
Afraid that I would make a wrong decision and miss out on something better.
Or more often for me, afraid that I would disappoint others if I chose wrong.

~~It sounds silly when you're talking about ice-cream but this tendency follows you through-out all life's decisions.
And when you're too afraid to make a mistake you tend to not choose at all.
~~I'm also a perpetual choice-deferrer. (Did I just make up a word?)
If someone else can make the decision for me.....
great!
Just tell me what to do.




When I let someone else make the decision I'm freeing myself of the consequences.
I'm placing the load on their shoulders.
If it turns out to be the wrong decision, well, I can't be blamed.

 ~~I'm not sure of the answer to this situation. Life will always be full of choices.

But I think the only way to go is to step fully into our own lives.
To gather up courage to simply decide.
My friend Abbi made some wonderful graduation wall art for her sister. It says:
"Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there's still time to change the road you're on."

Be brave. Decide. And then Move.




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1 comment:

Misti said...

I see this completely! I have gotten better at decisions as I've gotten older and stopped worrying whether the choice I make is going to upset anyone else (like a restaurant, if I say what I want I don't the other person/people with me to get upset with my choice) but I'm slowly getting better.

*hugs* you can do it!