Remembering to have options

Exploring options is a necessary thing. The opposite is definitely worse – feeling stuck. Feeling like you don’t have any other option is a terrifying feeling. When I feel like I am stuck I feel like I am drowning, a terrible feeling because it can seem like regardless of action a goal is unattainable. Fortunately, it’s been a long time since I thought this way. I thought this was because I forced myself to be stuck. I gave myself no other option and wasn’t open to new possibilities. Narrowly minded I took the same action over and over again expecting a better outcome. This is persistence in a negative form; a form that turns to disillusionment and distress. In some ways that idea of persistence is a combination of laziness and arrogance. Sometimes it is best to let some things go that are not in your control. At the same time the things that are influenced should be pursued. Focus on those things and compare to my past self rather than focusing on what others have and being resentful for what I am missing. I feel grateful for my life and what I have achieved. However that doesn’t mean I should be complacent. That brings me to the topic that I am meditating on today. Have options.

Be willing to seek something unknown and don’t accept what I don’t want. Once your current option stops being what I want make an effort to change it. If it is important enough and can be influenced put all of my focus and effort into changing it. If it cannot be influenced consider what my life would be like if I remove myself from the situation. Additionally, determine how long this externality will affect me. If I can defer my focus from the externality and it is worth doing so then do it. If not then I owe it to myself to make a change.

What to do though if there are not any other options? I must put my head down and work until I have complete capability in my task. If I am in an organization then make myself invaluable in key efforts and self sacrifice. When and only then will I have the options that I want. That being said in an ideal world I would continue to progress on a track. However sometimes I must make my own track.

How can I evaluate my options when they are presented to me? Well I have to have an idea of what my long term goal. If I don’t know what that is observe and ask good questions open mindedly to understand them fully. If a goal is known compare criteria that I’ve identified to that goal. Again if goal not known then find commonalities in the options and compare them to make a decision what I want. When deciding commit to it fully. Don’t second guess a decision. If the decision was wrong then make another decision. Don’t complain but understand the sequence of events that led up to that point and accept that I cannot change my past but I can and will make decisions today to positively improve my future and incrementally improve.