Taking the road less travelled or…

Life is a matter of choice… And every choice that we make adds up and shapes our lives. It suggests that the lives that we are living today is an outcome of the choices that we have made in the past. And, how our lives will be in the future will be strongly influenced by the choices we make today. Zig Ziglar once famously said that, “If you don’t like your life, start making better choices.” So how do we make better choices? Is there a scientific way to do that? Well, there are some guiding principles that can help us traverse through the complexities involved in the decision-making process and increase the probability of making choices aligned to our own values and aspirations. Let us have a look at those.

1. Alignment: Are the choices that you make aligned to your values? At the heart of every choice lies your personal set of values. It is a great idea to reflect on your core values and goals before you take any decision. The clarity of what truly matters to you serves as a compass, guiding you towards choices that are in line with your authentic self. Consider what brings you joy, happiness, fulfilment, and a sense of purpose. Alignment of your choices with your values and goals, makes it more likely for you to make decisions that lead you to a meaningful and fulfilling life.
   

2. Be Informed: Be Smart. Be Intelligent. Be Informed. Informed decision-making requires gathering relevant information and exploring different options. Conduct your research, seek expert advice from trusted sources, mentors and consider different perspectives. This will broaden your understanding of the situation, increase your knowledge, and enable you to weigh the pros and cons of each choice more effectively. Remember, embrace curiosity and be open to new possibilities.
   

3. Trust your Instincts: There is no doubt that it is crucial to gather information, but at the same time it is equally important to listen to your instincts. Intuition they say is the whisper of the soul. It draws upon your accumulated wisdom and experiences and provides you subtle guidance. Pay attention to that inner voice or gut feeling or instinct or whatever you call it. Intuition can offer invaluable insights and help you make decisions that align with your deeper instincts and aspirations.
   

4. Consider the long-term consequences: Remember, you cannot build a long-term future on short term thinking. When you make choices, it’s important to consider the potential long-term consequences. Evaluate how each option may impact your future well-being, relationships, your personal growth. While short-term gains may be tempting, prioritize choices that contribute to your long-term fulfilment and overall life satisfaction. Balance immediate gratification with a forward-looking perspective.
   

5. Embrace failure and learn: Remember that making choices that seem right doesn’t always mean you’ll get it right. I am sure you have heard this before, “Mistakes and failures are steppingstones to success.” Embrace them as opportunities for growth and learning. Analyze the outcomes of your past choices, reflect on what went well and what didn’t, and extract valuable lessons. This iterative process strengthens your decision-making abilities over time. MS Dhoni famously talks about focusing on the process in almost all his interviews. He believes that the process is more important than the result, the result is just a by-product of the process. So take care of the process and eventually you will get the desired result. If you prepare well, you execute well, if you are honest to yourselves more often than not, you will get the desired result. And if there is a shortcoming then there is always learning.
   

6. Seek support and perspective: When faced with significant decisions, seek support from trusted friends, mentors, or family members. Discussing your options with others can provide fresh perspectives, challenge your assumptions, and help you see the bigger picture. However, ultimately, the choice must align with your own values and aspirations. Use external input as guidance but trust your own judgment.

“Our lives are fashioned by our choices. First, we make our choices. Then our choices make us.” The principles mentioned above will help you in the first part of making choices. When you align your choices / decisions to your values and long term goals, gather information and look at different perspectives, trust your instincts during the process, look to learn from your mistakes and failures and get support when you need it from people around you, you do your bit in ensuring that you go through this process with confidence and clarity.

So, embrace the power of choice and let it guide you on a remarkable path of self-discovery and growth. Remember, as the poet Robert Frost once said, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.”

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