Tough Choices

If there’s one thing you can count on in life, it is that you will be sent plenty of curveballs. There are so many choices in life that we are asked to make and some of them are huge decisions that can affect the rest of your life. This is one thing that I struggle with, seeing as I can barely decide what movie I should watch. When you’re 18 you are asked to decide if you want to continue schooling and if you do, where you want to spend the next four years of your life. Not only that but you have to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life for your career. Who at 18 can possibly know that? I thought that I did, but because of the twists and turns I’ve gone through in life, I am now on a completely different path.

Choices in relationships happen all the time and can be hard to think about. Do I want to put in the effort to continue my relationships with friends from high school? Do I want to focus on my future and let go of the past? Am I truly happy in my relationship, or am I just comfortable? These questions can be really hard to answer and can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed and empty of answers. However in times like these, it is important to think about what will make you happiest. You’re happiness is what should drive your decisions in life especially in tough decisions.

Last year I was faced with choosing between transferring schools and continuing to pursue my dream of theater, or staying at my current school, figuring out something else to study, and still being surrounded by my friends. I couldn’t possibly imagine my life without my friends in it but at the same time I couldn’t imagine loving something as much as theater. In the end I knew I would be unhappy without my friends and my support system so I stayed at Ball State and began exploring new career options. I now am studying advertising and absolutely have fallen in love with it.

An anonymous quote that I remind myself of when things in my life are changing and I worry about how they will end up is

“Don’t be afraid of change. You may end up losing something good, but you’ll probably end up gaining something so much better.”

Change is inevitable but keep a positive calm outlook and trust that things will work out for the better.

It can be scary when change in your life is happening. But it can be even scarier when it comes down to you to make a decision that lays out how the change will go. I’ve been struggling with some decisions in my life and find myself thinking about them all the time and trying to figure out what will make me happiest, but the honest truth is that I don’t know. I’m unsure of the best thing to do and don’t really know what I want. I stumbled across this quote the other day and it really put things into perspective for me and is helping me work through this change in my life and hopefully can work for you, when you find yourself in a similar position.

“When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment when the coin is in the air, you suddenly know what you are hoping for.”