Changing Lanes
Submitted by
bosco on Mon, 05/12/2008 at 12:15pm.
Life is like a game of Chess...
...changing with each move
(Chinese proverb)
If you could change one decision you've made in your life, what would it be ?
Life is a series of decisions. Some decisions are made without much thought (like what to eat for breakfast or what to wear today). Others you mull over for long periods (like getting married or moving to a new state). Even deciding not to make a decision, is a decision. Each and every decision you do or do not make leads you to the next one and each one is inexorably interlinked with your past and future decisions.
Each decision you make leads to an action and/or a reaction on your part, on those around you and on the universe at large. These actions and reactions resulted in the experiences of your life. These experiences made you who you are today.
If you made even one decision differently, you would be, in some minor or major way, a different person than you are at this very moment. I know, that even if I could go back and make a different choice somewhere in my past, I wouldn't change a thing.
You might think that I have had a very nice, pleasant life up until now and therefore wouldn't want to undo it. I can assure you that nothing can be further from the truth. Actually, I have experienced several major traumatic, even life-threatening, events in my life that have had a lasting effect on my psyche. And yet, if I could, I wouldn't go back and change what happened.
Why? It's simple. As I pointed out, I am the sum total of everything that has happened to me in the past. Every thought, every decision, every action, every reaction, has made me who I am today - and I like who I am today. I am who I am because of my experiences - both good and bad.
If I didn't like who I am today, would I want to make a different decision in the past? The answer is still, "No." Why? Because every thought, every decision, every action and every reaction I make from this point forward will make me who I will become. I still have it in my power to be the person I want to be and I have decided to be happy and not let the past define who I am, but instead let it simply be a building block to who I have become.
******