Wednesday, February 13, 2008

I-n-ee Meen-i Mi-ni Mo… the Power of Decisions

Making decisions is probably one of key steps to self-mastery. The reason I say this is because to master oneself requires one to step up to the responsibility of becoming the captain of one’s fate, the creator of one’s life. And to be able to consciously do so, one must be able to make decisions in regards to one’s life direction. The map of our lives, when seen from a birds’ eye view may look like a tree with many branch-offs. Every now and then we’re faced with crossroads at which we must consciously choose the path down which we shall walk. The summation of the paths we have chosen make up our life journey. And the journey itself, as well as the destination, together can determine the quality of our experiences. Many would argue that it is the journey itself that is the ultimate purpose. I say, that both are, for one is dependent on the other because one cannot truly enjoy the journey without a clear sense of direction. For without a strong sense of “destination” or goal to journey toward, the journey loses much of its meaning. Such is the beauty of our existence in time. Time affords us the experience of crafting our lives like a work of art. And a tool we use to craft our lives is called making decisions.

The common issue people have with making decisions is the fear of not knowing what is to come if we choose one over another path. Sometimes we are afraid of the consequences of going down both paths, simply because of fear itself. Fear is a natural human response to the unknown and it springs from the mind alone. Fear is also a protective mechanism linked with survival. The mind doesn’t know and thinks it knows, while the heart, which is connected with our higher knowing, has the capacity to trust in a higher power which is the true decision-maker in our journeys. Of course we can use our mind to gather information and knowledge to help give ourselves more faith and confidence in making our decisions (that would be called informed intuition), but when it comes to matters of the heart, sometimes we are called to only trust. What then are we really trusting? Trusting ourselves or trusting in a higher power? Perhaps there is no need to draw a distinctive line between the two. We are the higher power that comes through us. In trusting the higher power, that is the ultimate power that chooses, we are in essence, trusting ourselves. In the process of making decisions, depending on the matter involved, one may go through periods of confusion. Confusion, which is the opposite of clarity, and clarity, meaning, to have no obstacles, is simply the state of being enveloped by one’s fears and doubts. To overcome confusion, one must search relentlessly within oneself for the source of fear. And when a decision is made, the Universe naturally steps in to support and provide. Sometimes even, when a decision is made, the road that was once fogged suddenly disappears and transgresses into a completely new road with more fruitful promises than expected, and then you realize that all the confusion, the fears, the indecisions were simply a test of faith and courage, and that everything you thought might happen had you chosen one path over the other, never even ever were meant to occur, according to the agenda of the divine. Now are you still afraid to choose?