I wanted to get involved. The cause was a worthy one. So, why was I vacillating, ready to sign in the dotted (volunteer) line one moment, but screeching to a halt with pen in hand before I made that commitment?
As a young adult, I believed it a badge of courage to careen headlong into decisions. We can talk ourselves out of anything if we give ourselves too much time pondering, right? The two column method of weighing the PROS and CONS of a course of action seemed artificial to me, a way of wiggling out of just about anything. I forged ahead, ignoring a few warning signs along the way. Well, MANY signs, if I'm honest.....
The pendulum then swung in the opposite direction and I agonized over decisions large and small. Which meant that I often did nothing. I missed a few valuable opportunities as I stutter stepped and twisted this way and that.
Today I have come to terms with a simple standard of operation for either moving forward or staying put: If I have to talk myself into doing something, I probably shouldn’t be doing it. Forcing decisions is as bad as dithering about them endlessly or rushing headlong over the cliff of impetuousness. And saying “NO” is my right at any point along the way.
So, last week I gathered information, asked questions, and then noticed that I was getting to the dotted line and backing up one too many times. It must not be right for me, at least at this time. I can revisit it again in the future if it presents itself again. I said NO and the world continued to spin on its axis.
One of the beauties of ageing—and sometimes we really must look for those gems as we tick the years off—is being able of use the mistakes of the past. I did run off a few cliffs over the years, and now I recognize the CAUTION signs a bit sooner.
“Before you make a decision, ask yourself this question:
will you regret the results or rejoice in them?” ― Rob Liano
