We often get signs from the universe that it's time for change. Recently a much younger loved one has been giving me one of those signs--his reactions clearly say, I'm older now, and it's time to treat me that way. I'm heeding those signs by acknowledging his maturity and need for his own adult life. We have to pay attention to the world around us and react accordingly. If we're attuned, we may be able to avoid some of life's greater issues and problems.
Some signs however point to tough changes, changes that are not easy to make, and some of us may be more aware of what the signs are saying to us than others. How do we react when the changes are tough? What do we do?
A few years ago one of my aunts had to make a tough decision since her husband was not well. Not everyone agreed with her decision, but I did as I saw it from her position, and I thought she made a safe, good choice for herself and her husband. A cousin had to make a similar tough decision, and she made a safe decision--it wasn't easy, but it was the right decision.
How will I react to tough decisions about my own life? I watched a colleague once have to make one of those tough decisions. She did it, but it wasn't easy. Some decisions are not easy. Some decisions make us choose one person over another, one place over another, one activity over another. How do we make those difficult decisions?
One way is decide is to begin with the worst case scenario. What is the worst case scenerio in every difficult choice? As I think of another decision I have to make, thinking about the worst case scenerios leads me to a decision. I want people to be safe and I want people to be able to live their best possible lives for who they are and where they are in life.
Another way to decide is to list the pros and cons which is a decision making strategy I use successfully all the time. While listing the pros and cons makes you well aware of the cons, that strategy also lets you see the positive side too. For example when I decided to retire a few years earlier, there were a number of cons, but one big pro was that I would have good time with my older parents who needed more help and support at that time. That gave me a unique and memorable experience in life that made my life richer and better. Another pro was that I had more time for my immediate family and both their needs and special events--I'm happy I've had the time to help them and cherish those celebrations.
A third way to decide is to let a professional in the field decide. For example if you have a health problem, you may let the doctor decide the next course of action. If you have a career problem, you may meet with a counselor or human resource individual. There are experts out there that can make decisions for you if you feel you don't have the knowledge or ability to make that decision yourself.
As we heed the signs around us, we have to make some tough decisions, and making those decisions can be very difficult, but that's a natural part of all of our lives and we have to deal with it. Onward.