In a recent post I urged us to try and choose better actions. When confronted with different choices to try our best, and lean toward the choice that will have the most desirable long term outcome. Even if it means we have to work harder or give up something in return. By choosing the tougher choice we accept that we will have to face some type of discomfort for a little while. That is, if we are trying to reach a goal. Feeling hungry is a discomfort when we are trying to lose weight. The discomfort of not buying another piece of clothing or guitar accessory. To give in to the discomfort one would choose instant satisfaction.  Consider making decisions that lead to slow long term results as opposed to instant satisfaction. Exercise a little every day. Try to eat less fatty food every day. These are small choices that over time lead to drastic changes in your weight.

What about other discomforts?

When we are faced with opposition at the work place or with our family or friends, do we resort to our animalistic behavior of cowering in fear or reacting in rage? Or do we Control our emotions and think about the problem constructively?
It comes down to our human ability to consider the options, the possible outcomes of each and then to choose the better option.

This is called problem solving.

I’ve been trying to teach my 3 year old this skill. Instead of asking she will cry for things. I tell her, if you are hungry tell me what you want. If you want to go pee tell me if you need help. If you want to cry let me know so I can put you in the guest bedroom to do so. Then I can tell she thinks about the options for a second and stops crying and tells me she wants milk. That’s problem solving. Taking your options or choices and predict each outcome then choose the most favorable.

You might ask, how would I know if this or that will be the right choice?

You will just have to trust your gut and choose one. If it’s that difficult to choose, then making a choice is at least better than not. You have to accept that sometimes you won’t make the right choice and live with the consequences.

Here’s the trick though.

As long as you learn from those choices. Instead of calling them bad choices call them teaching choices because they teach you lessons.  Always try to To find the lesson taught to you by Life. Life teaches us lessons everyday, we just have to look for them.

Look only to your past when trying to learn from it.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take several mistakes to learn these lessons. That’s why it’s important to seek advice from those before you. Read books or talk to your leaders or elders. Watch YouTube videos, especially interviews with those who have made life a success. In those interviews you’ll get first hand explanations of how those before you did it.

So go from here my friend and consider your choices, but do something different, actually DO one of those options. Start now because in a typical day you may face hundreds of these.

As long as you are moving you have a better chance of moving in the right direction.

Marthinus Zeeman