We’ve all been in that place. You have a pretty good idea what must be done, but you can’t do it. You know it is the appropriate thing to do, but you just can’t act. You are stuck. You mull the circumstances over and over in your head, but still, you don’t really do anything about it. You wait for life to come along and work it out for you. Then you accept the outcome. There are times when this approach might be okay, perhaps even the best choice; but most of the time we just don’t have the courage to make a decision.
Making decisions is a key activity in taking control of your life. it’s a skill in itself. Some people seem to have the ability to do it better than others. For these people, it seems to be an innate ability. For others, well it requires development. You have to practice. You have to flex those decision-making muscles. You can’t afford to wait around for things to happen. You have to confront your fear…fear of failure and of missed opportunities.
In order to develop the ability to act when the situation demands it, it’s ironic that the best ally is a more passive resource. it’s acceptance. When you can learn to accept life, then you are able to do more without being paralyzed by fear. Think about it. You can’t control everything. This is a fact. You can’t see the future another fact. You will make mistakes in life; but you can recover and move on. Accept all of this and you’re well on your way to being able to make tough decisions.
Acceptance is not so difficult. You do it all the time. Do you drive? Well, if you do, you have to take it for granted that the driver coming from the opposite direction is not a lunatic who is going to run into you. If you’ve ever crossed the street at a traffic light or gotten in a car with someone else driving, then you’re doing a lot of accepting. How do you do it? Well, you don’t have a choice. You have to get to where you’re going. You wouldn’t get there if you refuse to get in a car because you are afraid you might crash. it’s a risk you have to take because you are convinced that it there is almost no choice. Well, how about applying that acceptance to your decision? There are no guarantees in life (generally speaking). You might have made a mistake, but at least you had the courage to choose. And who’s to say you wouldn’t have gotten struck by lightning if you had taken the other path. You just can’t know that it would have been better if you hadn’t acted as you did. Accept this as well. It will give you confidence. Trust me, with confidence; you are already half-way to your destination.
Coaching can be a really helpful tool in enabling you to step back and assess your current situation and goals from a different perspective. Time spent with a qualified coach can really help you to assess where you are today, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there.
So, step up to the plate. Choose. Don’t be a victim of circumstance. You can do so much more knowing that you are responsible for the choices that have delivered you to where you are in life.
If you want to find out how a coaching programme with MGL might be able to help you take back control, then why not contact Meryl@merylgilbert.co.uk, 07500 111388 to arrange a free, no obligation chat about how MGL might be able to help you.