In discussing the parameters of what a buyer wants in a home it reminded me of all the other choices we make in life. The decisions we make really do impact us long term, so we should give careful consideration in areas like whom we marry, what home we buy, what job we take, what school district we live in, what food we eat.
But the hard cold reality is that life is all about choices. Think about women that work in home based offices. They are taking care of their kids and not sacrificing with day care. How about men that are breadwinners but work "too" much and maybe travel on the road and miss kid's birthdays and special events? Choices affect others. It is obvious but not always easy that we need to fully assess the consequences of our choices. Time passes so quickly and is insensitive to our dreams, plans and own needs. What will your future days be filled with? Being a positive one I would suggest we all try to make choices that give us MORE of the following:
Accomplishment, whatever is important to you in this area
Positive Memories
Sharing with and Giving to others
Reaching for new possibilities
Acceptance
Forgiveness
Adventure
Hope
and especially, "Love."
Our choices reflect our outlook on life. I call it "connecting the dots into the future."
Whether you judge something to be a problem or opportunity says more about you than about the situation. The way you choose to see the world is the way the world will be for you.
Good luck to you with all your choices. For Your Choices In Life Steer Your Boat. So break that boat out of the bottle and grab hold of that rudder and let the wind fill your sails. Full Speed Ahead.
Gary -
You got it man!
Each morning, when you're lying in bed, wondering whether you will get up or just hit the snooze button one more time, your initial outlook sets the tone for the whole day.
Unsure about this? Think when you're on vacation - with a lot of activities planned for the day. Don't you just spring out of bed in anticipation of all the exciting things on your plate.
It's a little different if you have to meet that tough client later in the morning, and ask for a price reduction.
Maybe we need to flip-flop attitudes, and create better choices and opportunities - before you even set foot on the bedroom floor each morning!
You think?
DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
Gary, The irony of the boat in the bottle is that it took an optimist to get it in. Great post. thanks
Bo
Gary.... I've been doing just this for the past few weeks. Life is indeed all about choices and we made the decision to enjoy more of life. Get out there and have fun. After all, all work and no play makes for a dull Jesse... and we can't have that now can we? :)
Dean: You are so right about this. Attitude is EVERYTHING in your approach to life.
Bo: That ship in the bottle has always been a mystery to me.
Jesse: No dull YOU's allowed. I'm on board with that. Kind of would be an oxymoron in your case : ) Glad you got your priorities in order. I would expect nothing less from your fine self.
Hi Gary, The ability to choose is the greatest gift given to each of us! I love to choose the BEST, not the worst; the BEAUTIFUL, not the ugly and things to PRAISE, not things to curse! :-)
Dan: You have the same focus I have. Do not even think of the negative choices to pick from. There are enough good ones to work on.
Gary....I'm surprised this post hasn't gotten more comments. I wonder if it is because, not only were some of us busy earlier in the day --- but it is a lot easier to think about who our heros are versus whether we are making good choices. The right choices. Do our choices reflect our priorities?
I like the fact that your posts have the ability to make me stop and think. This is one such post. Thanks!
Sondra: I guess no one wants to think about their choices because of all the bad ones we make LOL. Thanks for rescuing this one with another comment. It wasn't quite an orphan post but it was lonely and needed a little love. Time of day I think affects sometimes the number of comments. I just write them and place them up there whenever I get the chance. If people are interested fine, if not I'll write something else the next one up to bat. People I think should reflect more. The excuse is we all are too busy. But you can make time to stop and think. It's like reading the map before you head out on the road. Decisions sure can take us down different roads depending on the ones we select.
Hi Gary...What is very important is whether you are happy with where you are right now. If you can look back and recognize that you made some wrong choices but those wrong choices brought you here and from here on out you work hard to make the choices that will keep you in this good spot.
We can't change the choices we have made but we can improve our ability to make healthy choices in the future.
Take care,
Kate
Kate: I very much like your living in the present philosophy. All the past is over and we should honor it for the good and the bad, but today is what we can shape. Good point.
To this day I still remember a Sunday School lesson I was taught when I was 8 years old at our church in Eagle, Idaho. Our teacher taught us that every choice we make comes with consequences. We get to pick the choices we make, but once we make them, we are stuck with the consequences that are tied to that choice!!! That has proved to be a valuable lesson in my life.
Gary: We really don't think about the small choices we make everyday. My husband has shared with me how some of the most seemingly inconsequential have hurt his feelings. Picking up the phone to call a friend when I've been working all day, instead of sitting down to talk with him. It's easy to take people for granted. We have to aware of all of our choices and know how they do affect those around us.
Hi Pam: Choice linked to Consequences is a great lesson. And when the consequeces start happening you can't undo them, that's why the best choice up front is so important.
Chris Ann: I agree with your husband on the little hurts. ALL of us can have off the cuff comments (snide remarks even) that hurt. We need to be aware of them as our choice of words can sting some time, even if it wasn't intentional.
Gary, At the end of the day our life is the story of our choices... Good of bad they mold our life and that is "our life story" unedited, unrevised, unmodified ...
And may I point out the men who work at home and the women who are breadwinners? Because none of these roles are gender specific anymore. :) I love your blogs, Gary. I know I can always come here and relax. That you will have something to say that is beneficial and rewarding. Thank you for being you.
Thanks for your post, Gary! Choices...hmmm what can I say. You are very right. I believe if we are positive in attitude every day we will make the right choices.
Diane Concialdi
Gary, I vote this one for a feature because it is one that everyone really needs to hear! I love AR and respect that everyone has a say but let's be honest...some blogs and even some comments are for the surface only and then others, such as this one...speak to the mind and the heart!
I love the inspiration and thank you for your time in sharing this!
my motto in life.....LOVE WINS!!
Arina: We create our life story as you so aptly put it with our choices.
Elizabeth: Yep, many of the roles have reversed with telecommuting and working at home. Thanks for you kind words about my little ramblings. I keep trying for you Elizabeth. Your stuff is great!! Being ME is easy. It's the only one I know : )
Diane: The positive attitude goes a long way in helping us select the right choices.
Liz: Some things that get featured are mindless, so I won't even comment beyond that, but I see you notice too. Don't try to figure it out, but I appreciate your kind words.
Cathy: Love wins. That is a very good choice.
Gary - and, sometimes you never know what choices will lead you in the best direction - in these situations I always let my heart direct me!
Time does move very fast and sometimes people make choices without thinking about the consequences (good or bad) and before they know it their boat is in the middle of the ocean and they don't know which direction to go! It's important to stop and think about where our boat is headed every so often so we stay on track.
Hi Gary, every decision in life is a "crossroad." We make a choice and then follow that path. If we make those decisions based on our personal values then we are reasonably sure that the path we are taking is the right one.