You are sitting in your recliner, 50 years old, in the house you have been in for 25 years. You’re married to the love of your life, maybe have a few kids. Or maybe you are a freelance artist sitting in your apartment in New York City with a few pets and planning your next trip to LA.
Maybe you consciously made decisions throughout the last 25 years to get to where you are today, or maybe each decision you made you were actually sliding into without even consciously thinking about it. This message is for both of you: the slider and the decider.
Usually, this is in the context of marriage or romantic relationships. However, this concept can apply to your life in other aspects.
A lot of people are scared to face the decisions they have made to lead up to where they are today. Do you know what is even scarier? Looking back and regretting the way you spent your time and wishing you were somewhere different than where you are today.
Creating a habit of deciding or sliding really comes to play in your first years out of college or the first years of your career. This is when you have complete ownership of your decisions. You are then accountable for the consequences of your decisions.
Those first years out of college and the first years into your career truly set the stage for the next 10 years of your life. No pressure—you can make mistakes. I mean, I sure have. However, you can confidently own, reflect on, and learn from those mistakes. This will empower you because you are taking accountability for your mistakes. Most importantly, you are taking accountability of your decisions.
Yes, God has a plan for you. However, this does not mean you should just wait around for things to happen. God’s plan comes into play when you make a decision and something out of your control derails that decision.
I am 26 years old and I can confidently say that I decided where my life has gone so far. Yes, I have made mistakes. However, I have not only taken ownership of the decisions I have made but also accepted the consequences (good or bad) that those decisions have given me.
I challenge you to ask yourself today: Am I deciding or sliding? This answer does not only need to be about the big decisions you made today or this week, but this can also be about the small decisions you made today, like what you did in your free time. Are you proud of the decision you made or did you subconsciously slide into that decision?
Take accountability. Take ownership. Empower yourself. Decide don’t slide.