Decide 2 Matter

Choices Choices Choices

Do you remember when you were in grade school and you just didn't want to go to school that day? At that time, you didn't have a choice.  You wen to school that day. Well, unless you are 13 and reading this, you likely do not have to go to school today. When we were younger, although we had some choices, the majority of them were made for us by our parents. At that time, we were learning the made up rules on living in this culture. Here are the typical rules most of us learned.

• Go to school
• Go to college
• Finish college
• Get job
• Get Married
• Buy House
• Have 2.5 kids
• Retire
• Take care of aging parents
• Be taken care of by your kids when you age
• Shuffle off this mortal coil

Now, in this day and age, we are able to make many more choices than what was offered to us.And, we don't have to live our lives by those guidelines. However, many of us unconsciously agree upon these made up rules on what we should do with our lives.

To help you see that there are so many choices, you need to educate yourself on what's available. Here are some simple and fun things you can do to spice up your life. (It's your choice!)

Exercise.

1. Try a new restaurant this week (Thai food, Mexican, Chinese, something other than burgers)
2. Check out the Religious Tolerance website to learn about another religion
3. Go to our local library and walk down the aisles randomly. Pick out a book on a random subject and take it home
4. Check out your local community college to see what they offer. Continuing Education or Personal Enrichment courses are usually short and cheap. Try something new!
5. Volunteer to help out at a local shelter. Imagine life through these people's eyes.
6. Get in your car, fill up the tank, pick a direction and DRIVE!
7. Visit some of the places in your own town that tourists frequent.
8. Watch programs about other cultures.
9. Be willing to learn something new.

Many of us get stuck in the same old rut. One of the best ways to do that is realize all the choices you have. And the best way to do that is to educate yourself. Get involved! Enjoy life and realize you have tons of choices, choices, choices!

Write It All Down

Today's exercise is as follows.

1. Go to the store, preferably someplace with a good stationery selection.
2. Pick up a small notebook, something small enough to put in your pocket or in a purse.
3. Write on the inside cover Important Thoughts and Ideas
4. Or you could write other such things.
   
   1. Story Ideas
   2. Things I'm Thankful For
   3. Project Ideas
   4. Interesting Things I've Heard
   5. Ways I Amuse Myself
   6. Ways the World Amazes Me
   7. Miracles

But the one thing you must do if you decide 2 matter is this.

Keep the notebook with you everywhere you go. Have it handy!

By keeping the notebook with you, you are secretly affirming that you have something important to say. You are honoring your voice and your ideas by giving them a place to live: in that little notebook. So, when you get home, you can....

1. Transfer them to a new notebook - a big one
2. Transfer them to your computer
3. Put them into a folder labeled "good ideas"
4. Get working on something you never would have done before
5. Notice how clever you really are
6. Start paying more attention to the little things

The possibilities are endless. Once that creative part of you has an outlet, you won't have to wait long before it starts making itself heard. Now you are just prepared to Write It All Down.

Resources

Write It Down Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser

100 things

Today's exercise is to list 100 things you like about yourself.

It's hard to decide 2 matter if you aren't too happy with yourself. If this exercise is hard for you, think about what your best friend likes about you. Or even what your dog likes about you. Or what your mom likes about you.

Start your list now.

...

When are you finished, circle the one thing on your list that stands out. Then either write that one thing down on a piece of paper, frame it, or tape it to the wall, or put it on the fridge.

Let me know what you come up with.