Neon Signs

Always in motion the future is. — Yoda

Everyday, we are faced with deciding our future.

When we were younger, the “right” answers may have seemed more obvious. Maybe it had to do with immaturity or a lack of sophistication in our thinking.

Perhaps the issue was more universal. In our twenties, we often only have ourselves to consider. No spouse or children yet. Parents in relatively good health. Should we apply for the job? Should we buy or lease? Should we take a roommate? While these were big life choices, they were simple in comparison to the complexity of the decisions we face later in life.

Today’s choices are more complex in part because of the impact upon our dependents. We no longer only represent ourselves. Some decisions are a challenge because our understanding of ourselves is not as black and white as we once thought. We are neither this or that; we are both this and that.

Plus, with more stakeholders and a finite lifetime, the pressure to make the best forever decision right now can cause our brains to seize up. When faced with analysis paralysis, an old friend and mentor of mine used dispense the following advice, “There are very few permanent decisions. If you make a decision and you don’t like the results, make another decision.”

Each decision we make is just one in a long line of decisions. We are the ones who weight their significance differently. Even big choices can often be changed if we are willing to make the commitment required.

In the absence of neon signs, better choices come with meditation and self-reflection. From this inner work, we gain a calm spirit, an open mind, and heart that seeks ever greater compassion towards self and others.