Life is a constant stream of choices. Some are more trivial than others…chocolate chip or snicker-doodle? Others hold more significance. Regardless each choice is a turn in our path. Every decision changes our lives…either for a few minutes or forever. While some choices lead to success, others can set us on a path to failure. The trick is making the right choice.

When we are young, choices seem less important. There is a sense that we have time to change our course and achieve all that we want. It is easier to let other people’s judgment sway our sense of what is right….especially if the alternative is more carefree. With a ripple effect, suddenly we are off course and our journey can become even more difficult. All because of choices.

As we get older, we begin to recognize the impact of our decisions. This is were it gets complicated. Suddenly aware of the ripple effect, many people find themselves stuck and fearful of change and choice. Everything matters. The crazy thing is that being frozen and incapable of making a choice, IS A CHOICE. That choice adds to your steps along your path.

Sometimes bad things happen and I am as troubled as anyone else about this. But not all things that happen aren’t foreseen and not everyone is an innocent victim. For many people, they have taken steps towards it each and every day. Selfish decisions, failure to act, indifference…only to name a few turning points. You see…negative choices bring negative energy into your life.

I grew up hearing my mother drill the mantra “you reap what you sow” deep into my soul. As I get older, I see how true this is. Those who never tended their crops, find their themselves hungry and desperate for life. While those who cultivated their relationships and took time to make proper decisions, are full and thriving.

“Quality questions create a quality life,” Tony Robbins informed us all. I believe our life is the sum of all of our choices. No matter how still you are, life keeps changing. If you are finding yourself stuck in “choice” quicksand, her are a few questions that may help to get you out: 

• Will this steal my energy or enhance it?
• Will this choice hold me in my past or move me towards an inspiring future?
• Will I grow from this?
• Is this an act of love…or sabotage?

Newton’s first law basically states that an object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force. Life is the same. You are in constant motion until you die. The question is where are you heading? Ultimately the choices you make will define you. The goal is to be the best person you can be in each moment…one moment at a time, one choice at a time.