The Absent Uncle: Choices

Make sure you have choices.  

That was a statement made by one of my mentors years ago. What did he mean? It took a while to for me to internalize what that statement meant. When you are young and ambitious, not equipped with the fear necessary to be careful, you have tendencies to jump off an economic, career or financial cliff without the parachute you need to lessen the effects of the fall. It could mean the difference between a total crash landing or a mild setback with paths available to move forward. 

It took me a couple of jumps with hard falls to see the wisdom. To understand.

Choices mean evaluating the situation, keeping your options open, not burning your bridges, and most definitely working hard. If you are not happy, you simply cannot just walk away in frustration. You have to realize you put yourself in that position – no one else to blame, and you need to develop options to extricate yourself from the situation. You have to develop choices. Short-term or long-term. Or better yet, both. The more choices the better.

I have tried to pass along the wisdom of having choices to my kids and to persons that I have had the honor (and sometimes frustrating task) of mentoring. Some get it, some will get it later, others never will.  

But to have choices gives you the ability to adjust in adverse situations, avoid dead ends, and most importantly keep moving forward. There is not straight path forward in this life for most of us; be nimble, know your values, and do what is right for you within the choices you develop.

Make sure you have choices.