Weve all been in that place. You have a pretty good idea what must be done, but you cant do it. You know it is the appropriate thing to do, but you just cant act. You are stuck. You mull the circumstances over and over in your head, but still you dont really do anything about it. You waitwait for life to come along and work it out for you. Then you accept the outcome. There are times when this approach might be okay, perhaps even the best choice; but most of the time we just dont have the courage to make a decision.

Thats what it boils down to, you knowcourage. Well, I know thats the case for me anyway. I have taken to examining myself at such times when I find it difficult to decide what best to do. My discovery is that, even when it is abundantly clear that one action is for the greater good, fear stops me from acting of my own will. I look at the possible consequences and I cant bear to move forward. What about the other action? Well, the fallout of that might also be unbearable, so I dont take that action either. I cant stay where I am. I must do one of the other. Repeatedly I return back to the same fork in the road, and I dont act on either one, hoping that the next time I return there would be more clarity. Sadly, clarity hardly comes. Eventually, when I do act, a lot more damage has been done than was necessary...damage that could have been avoided if I only had the courage to act sooner.

Well, more damage isnt always done, one could argue. Its true. Still, at the very least, you take away your control of the situation by becoming a victim. Surely thats wrong, you say. What if you rush into a decision that you later come to regret? Wouldnt it be better to consider things fully before you do something stupid? Once again, thats correct. However, for most people, the consideration goes on for way longer than it should. If there is something else that should happen first, then thats fine; but this is not the case either, for most people. Its just that they dont want to do what is necessary.

Making decisions is a key activity in taking control of your life. Its a skill in itself. Some people seem to have the ability to do it better than others. For these people, it seems to be an innate ability. For others, well it requires development. You have to practice. You have to flex those decision-making muscles. You cant afford to wait around for things to happen. You have to confront your fear...fear of failure and of missed opportunities.

In order to develop the ability to act when the situation demands it, its ironic that the best ally is a more passive resource. Its acceptance. When you can learn to accept life, then you are able to do more without being paralyzed by fear. Think about it. You cant control everything. This is a fact. You cant see the future (unless you are psychic or something, in which case skip this); another fact. You will make mistakes in life; but you can recover and move on. Accept all of this and youre well on your way to being able to make tough decisions.

Acceptance is not so difficult. You do it all the time. Do you drive? Well, if you do, you have to take it for granted that the driver coming from the opposite direction is not a lunatic who is going to run into you. If youve ever crossed the street at a Traffic Light, or gotten in a car with someone else driving, then youre doing a lot of accepting. How do you do it? Well, you dont have a choice. You have to get to where youre going. You wouldnt get there if you refuse to get in a car because you are afraid you might crash. Its a risk you have to take because you are convinced that it there is almost no choice. Well, how about applying that acceptance to your decision? There are no guarantees in life (generally speaking). You might have made a mistake, but at least you had the courage to choose. And whos to say you wouldnt have gotten struck by lightning if you had taken the other path. You just cant know that it would have been better if you hadnt acted as you did. Accept this as well. It will give you confidence. Trust me, with confidence; you are already half-way to your destination.

So step up to the plate. Choose. Dont be a victim of circumstance. You can do so much more knowing that you are responsible for the choices that have delivered you to where you are in life.