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Did you make the wrong decision?
Nothing stings like the panic of thinking you made the wrong decision.
I’m sure you’ve been there. Sleepless nights. A vise gripping the top of your head as panic-fueled thought after panic-fueled thought circles like a hawk: What have I done? If only I’d chosen the other way. Nothing will ever be right again.
Life is full of complicated decisions or feeling like you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. Today I offer you a perspective shift that will hopefully ease that tension up a bit. In fact, I have a little secret for you:
You cannot make a wrong decision.
It’s true. Life is not a test where the universe or God is peering down at us over tortoise-rimmed bifocals, comparing our life performance to the secret key of answers on a multiple-choice test.
Life is not a journey where we can guess with the precision of a statistician — Hmmm. I have picked “C” five times in a row. Maybe it’s time for an “A”? Or am I the only one who’s been caught off guard for a test I didn’t study well enough for?
While many choices feel wrong, there are an equal number of opportunities to make it right — no time travel required. In fact, wrong choices often send us on the greatest adventures of our lives.
Every choice is either a blessing or a lesson — and sometimes both.
The best way to make feel-good choices is to connect with yourself daily through practices like meditation and yoga. Connect with yourself by dropping into the stillness, and you will not only make better choices, but develop your capacity to transform sour lemons into sweet meringue.
If you feel really disconnected, set aside time to amplify your spiritual practice. Take one of my courses, make an extra effort to meditate daily or spend time journaling. Download a free meditation below.
Download the world’s most powerful meditation for emotional healing.
Most meditation techniques focus on the breath. This brings you into your body
The increased sense of connection will pay off. Investing your time in connecting with your heart is the greatest investment you can make.
Of course, the severity of uncomfortable decisions varies steeply.
Regretting the outfit you selected in the morning pales in comparison to the grimace that appears after you realized you said yes to the wrong job, the wrong city, the wrong man.
But are any of these choices actually bad?
Deep down, the pain of making what feels like a wrong decision is less than the fear that we’ve somehow messed up our entire lives. That we’re wasting precious time careening down the wrong road when all we want is to find THE road and cruise on down, unimpeded by traffic jams or detours.
But this road of clear travel is a myth. It doesn’t exist. No matter what road you’re on, there will be obstacles and detours and difficulties. That’s not a sign of the wrong road — that’s life.
Life isn’t about making the best decisions, but making the best of the ones we’ve made.
I can’t even tell you how many years I spent regretting my move to Phoenix. The list of reasons this place would ruin my life mounted over time. No jobs, no water, no like-minded people that I could find. For me, it felt like no life. I spent all my time lamenting my seemingly very wrong decision.
But after I accepted living here, my entire life opened up with new opportunities. I had no good job prospects, so I had to make my own. That led to this blog and a business selling life-changing online course experiences — a gig that feels uniquely me and that never would have happened were it not for what felt like one of the worst decisions of my life.
The fact is, spending time regretting decisions is the true waste — not the time spent living the decision.
What’s done is done. To move forward, accept the present moment exactly as it is and ask a magical question — okay. So now what?
The more quickly you accept where you are, the faster you’ll be able to savor that sweet meringue and maybe look back one day to realize the wrong choice you made wasn’t so wrong after all.
Maybe a wrong choice took you exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Share in the comments section — what’s one time you made a seemingly wrong decision that turned out ok?
I hope this served you.
All the love,
Suzanne
Download the world’s most powerful meditation for emotional healing.
Most meditation techniques focus on the breath. This brings you into your body
This rings so true for me! Last summer when my lease was up I had big dreams of moving out of state, only to find that I couldn’t afford it. I ended up moving back home and in with my parents, which felt like a HUGE failure at the time – everyone else my age was traveling the world and finding their dream jobs, and I was back in my hometown like I hadn’t grown up at all! But I truly needed that time to get back on my feet. I found a good job and an apartment I loved, and I met the man of my dreams – and now a year later, he and I are planning on moving out of state together! None of these things would have happened if I hadn’t made the “wrong” choice – it ended up being SO right for me! <3
About making the correct decisions always I do agree with you. I realized quite a time ago that whatever you do either by chance or by intention it is always for good. One just has to believe in himself.
You always come up with articles that really resonate eith me. I don’t know where you get these pearls from but I get a lot from reading what you write.
This is so valuable. Tt seems like there is so much reinforcement around avoiding consequences; this is an entirely different – and, I think, more real and valuable – perspective. Thanks so much, Suzanne!
Thank you Kirsti!
So glad it resonated! <3