The Surging Tide Of Choices

“The Surging Tide Of Choices”
Self-Portrait, May 2023

We all have to make choices. It’s the simple fact of life. 

The world we exist in today is chock-full of decisions that need to be made. A quick google search will tell you that we make around 35,000 choices every single day. Granted most of these decisions are not life altering or weighty. From which shoes to wear to what song to hear, these kinds of choices don’t dramatically change our lives. 

Yet, there are days in which we will find ourselves in the midst of drastic choices. Large, weighty decisions that could very well alter our lives must be faced. These choices plague our minds, often creating a mental veil of confusion, and all we want is for the decision to be taken away from us. 

The choice feels too big and too important to deal with.

You know the kind of decisions. The ones that often involve deciding between two good options or two hard options. 

Sometimes we are made to choose between two things we love. Sacrifices must be made because we simply cannot do everything and be everywhere at the same time. This can be one of the most excruciating decisions we have to make as it involves giving up something we want. 

Other times we’re faced with two extremely hard options, either direction is filled with discomfort and the potential for some kind of pain. In this scenario, we desperately want a third and kinder option, but that hardly ever happens. We are to choose our hard. 

So in the face of this mental struggle with ourselves, the what ifs, and doubts, often we resort to a supposed other option. Avoidance. 

If I just don’t make a decision, it’ll go away, right?

But is this really true? No. The choice will eventually have to be made. Waiting, delaying, or avoiding having to go through the discomfort of making a choice will not make the decision go away. 

If we do not choose, life is going to choose for us. 

This likely will result in a choice that isn’t the best option for you. Suddenly you will find yourself living a life controlled by the wishes of others, not the deep desires of your own heart. 

At the end of the day, the choice must be made. Are you willing to let such important decisions be made by the world around you? There is a huge struggle in making a weighty decision, trust me I know, but the weight of living a life you don’t want is even heavier. 

Making a hard decision with mental resolution and strength is the only way to craft the journey of your life. It might upset other people and you might have to sacrifice things you love, but in the long run the life you are living will look more like what you want it to be. 

Make the hard decision. 

Choose which path you want to take with determination. We cannot have it all, might as well choose to chase after the things that you know deep down are what you desire. It doesn’t get easier, but it makes life worth living.

Until Next Time,
Lillian Merritt