Choices Have Consequences

In life, many choices are thrown into our path and it’s up to us to make the right picks. However, being human, we often make the wrong choices.

I remember when I was 13 years old I wanted to get married to a man who was seven years  my senior. My mother vehemently opposed the idea. She told the guy that I was yet too young to get married and, besides, I was still in first year high school, though he was already a professional and was having a job. My mother met with my Chinese aunties and they too agreed to my mother’s decision.  Even our school rector at Colegio del Santo, the late Fr. Restituto Suarez, talked to me in his office and advised me not to get married. 

I am thankful today for the advices and the prayers of my late mother, Antonia Uy de los Reyes. I was spared from the wrong decision.

Trudi Griffin of wikihow.com website states, “We make decisions every day, everything we  say and do is the result of a decision, whether we make it consciously or not, for every choice, big or small…”

Dr. Carmen Harra of huffpost.com website says, “Never underestimate the impact a single decision can have: one wrong move can ruin a relationship, a career, a life etc.  We must choose wisely to generate joy in our lives…” Drt. Harra suggests the following steps to consider:

• Pay attention to signs. The universe tries to offer guiding signals that we often miss or neglect. Anything can be a sign: your late mother’s name on a truck, a person you were just thinking about calling you, receiving an offer when you need it most etc. When you recognize something as a sign, don’t dismiss it. Reflect on the potential message being delivered to you.

• Keep your conscience clean. No decision should strain your spirit. Do your best to act for the good of everyone. Decisions that hurt others and only benefit you will eventually turn against you. When in doubt, consult your moral code. Keep your conscience clean by making clean choices.  

• Detach from negative emotions. Nothing keeps us stagnant like our own fear, impatience, and frustration. Moving forward with the right choices means we eliminate these emotions. If we weren’t afraid of anything, we would act with incredible kindness. If we weren’t so impatient, we would wait until the right opportunities rolled around. And if we didn’t become so easily frustrated, we would extend our perception.

Understand that these things are impediments to the progress of your life and that when you eradicate them, your decisions no longer stem from your ego but from the highest self. Always remember: “Never make a decision under desperation.”

• Organize your thoughts. Positive thoughts turn on the “possibility” switch when we think something good can happen. We take the right actions to ensure it becomes true. Put into words the entirety of your thoughts – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Then jot down your choices and their potential outcomes. Organized thoughts lead to wise decisions and make our lives rewarding.