5 Choices That Can Change Your Life
In life there are always choices, some simple and some so complex or confusing people will put them off for years at a time. Every choice is an opportunity that can change our circumstances, and ultimately our life’s journey, and sometimes we don’t know how things could have been because of the choices we chose not to make. Whatever the case may be, we should appreciate the gift of freedom to make these decisions, and not squander too many chances for change.
People often fall victim to the delusion that they have no choice, and this is especially true for people struggling with drugs or alcohol. Despite any expectation that there is no other way, whether in recovery or not, these are just 5 choices that can change your life.
- Allow yourself to love yourself
Love is by far one of the most powerful resources we can have, and it is ingrained in us. Whether we can acknowledge it or not, we have an endless supply of it, and we can use it to inspire others, heal the wounds the world can leave us with, and love can remind us of the limitless worth we have.
By allowing yourself to love yourself, you open up the flood gates of an immense supply of confidence and energy to fuel the things you are most passionate about. Loving yourself also allows you to forgive yourself for the past, for any shortcomings, and lets you believe in yourself and your capacity to change. Loving yourself can ultimately help you to truly be who you are, and who you are not.
- Show other people in your life how much you love them
Having just emphasized the importance and the power of love and what it can do for you, it should be pretty obvious why this is important. Of course it is the kind of gift that you can give yourself, but love is also an amazing feeling that you can share and express with those closest to you.
Showing the people in your life how much they mean to you can change your life, because it can alter the course of any relationship that has a real influence of who you are and how the quality of your life evolves. If someone close to you doubts their importance according to you, they may not allow themselves to truly be present in your life. Once someone knows how much you care, it can change everything.
- Don’t be afraid to pursue your passions
Who we are and the way we perceive the world is often inspired by the things that inspire us. Our passions are what give us the fire inside to strive on, to create and to explore, and to discover who we are and what we have to contribute to the beauty of the world. The things we love and the ambitions we have the potential to give our lives such fulfillment if we can take the risks to achieve those goals.
Too many people attest that they have lived to some degree of regret because out of all their years alive they chose the safer route. They chose social and financial security rather than the things that made them happy, and in the end it was not worth the sacrifice.
The choice to not let fear control the things you do and the dreams you chase will open you up to truly seek out the greatest extent of the person you can be. To let go of the idea that money should outweigh the things you love most can completely change your life.
- Commit to healthier habits
Sticking to a commitment is always important. Once we make a decision to do something for a better life, we should always be willing to see it through rather than give up on these goals or aspirations, especially when the choice we have initially made is for a healthier life.
No one lives forever, that much is true. But the quality of life that we have can be easily determined by how much we are willing to take care of ourselves. Things like hygiene, personal fitness, and taking care of ourselves mentally and emotionally will only magnify the quality of the results we get for the other choices that we make. So once we have decided to take action towards a healthier mind and body, we should commit to that choice.
- Don’t let others dictate who you are
Being trapped inside the expectations and opinions of others is nowhere to live your life. Holding yourself back because of what others might think of you, or because of what others might tell you is the person you should be is a life wasted trying to confine yourself to someone else’s perception of you.
Other people can only see us from a vantage point with limited perspective, they can only see maybe one or two of our dimensions that we let them see, without feeling the intricate emotional attachments, without understanding the layers of what makes us an individual. So they want to judge of from their point of view.
One of the worst things we can do is chose to try and compress all that we are into a fake presentation of what the world wants from us. Making the choice to be who you are, regardless of being misjudged or misunderstood, is real freedom. With that freedom all other choices become more powerful, because those choices are made genuinely, with love and faith.
It’s been said a thousand times a thousand different ways, that sometimes the best choices for us are the most difficult to make. We sometimes find ourselves caught in between trying to do what is right, and trying to do what is right for us. But in reality the two are more often than not the same, but the choice isn’t always easy. Sometimes the hardest choice we make is the choice that saves our lives. If you or someone you love is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-777-9588