Whatever you are doing, wherever you are going, you have made a choice, several choices. Everywhere there are new choices to make and different things will happen depending on what you decide.
Consequences
Choosing have consequences, whether it’s our choices or someone else’s. Making a choice changes what would have happened. Mostly when we choose we choose with our deepest values. Should we buy this item or steal it? Should we buy this item, or that item? Should we buy anything? Yes, all these choices might change what your future looks like, and the future of those close to you.
If you steal the item, you might get arrested or you might not. If you buy the item, a robbery might happen while you are paying. Your credit card might be stolen or you might drop it. These alternatives are only the obvious ones. Buying the item might mean you won’t have any spare change for the homeless, begging man, which in turn might mean he doesn’t get any food that day (or booze). In the end you can’t foresee all the consequences of your choices, but those you can, you should consider carefully. Choices and actions have consequences and you have to own them. You can blame no one, but perhaps it’s not your fault the homeless, begging man doesn’t get any food that day. (I’m not advocating that you should give all your loose change to begging strangers. It was just an example.)
However, there are instances where your choices didn’t create the situation. Those times nature took control. With that I mean natural disasters or just the weather. In these cases you can’t choose to stop the earth quake from happening, nor can you stop it from raining. What you can do is flee from the unstable region or take an umbrella with you.
Examples from My Life
In my life I decide by gut feeling, or a whim, or after serious consideration. It all depends on how important the decision is. The way I walk to the subway is usually a whim or routine. Whether I buy this or that book is more gut feeling (if both authors are unknown to me). While choosing which school I will apply to is a serious consideration.
The consequences of my actions have different impacts on me and those close to me or the event. Usually my path to the subway will change no one’s life but my own. One driver might have to stop for 30 seconds instead of continue driving, but that probably won’t change his life one way or the other (and if it does, it’s not only due to my choice, but his own, the environment and countless other people, since traffic can be pretty people-heavy). In the same way if I buy one book or the other, it probably won’t make a difference for the bookstore. It might for the author, but it doesn’t hinge on one book sold or not. But which school I choose will have a great impact on my life, the other students, the school, and the region I might move to. It will change how close or not I am to my family and current friends. It will change how I commute to school (probably). It will change a lot of things. So the consequences of my choice is huge. The consequence might affect me the most when it comes to choosing school, but it’s still important to consider all alternative choices and their consequences.
The Outcome
I have a choice; I had a choice. What is the outcome? Can I decide that? No.
What you have to remember is: you can only control your own decisions. You might not even be able to decide your choices, but you decide which one to pick. What happens when you’ve chosen, only time will tell. Maybe a little time, maybe a lot of time. I won’t know how my school choice turns out until I’m there and studying. Actually, that’s just the initial outcome. Until I’ve finished or changed schools I won’t know exactly how it changed me and those around me. Not even that, covers the full scope of what my choice changes. Because my education will change which jobs I can get, which recruiters will offer me jobs and so on. And while my choice changes my future, I will change too and what was a sound choice back then, might not be anymore.
Can you control the outcome at all? Yes, by making the choices that you think will lead to your goal. Of course, that doesn’t change what will happen, but it makes it more likely that you will get the result you want. If you want to write a novel, sitting down every day and writing on the same idea will probably one day lead you to having a finished draft. It’s not a sure thing, but it’s more probable than if you talk about your unwritten book all the time while not actually writing it. Even if you only write a little once a month, you might eventually have a finished draft. So you can change what will happen in the future, by making the choices that will lead you to the future you want. But it’s still not 100% certain it will happen, but close enough (at least when it comes to writing a novel).
Your choices
You have choices, and so do I. The choices I’m making each day is leading me closer to my goals (becoming a gaming programmer, being a writer and a good daughter/sister/friend).
What are your choices and where are you hoping they will lead you?
