In all parts of your life, you must make decisions.Little decisions, big decisions and monumental decisions. Some decisions are so natural that you may not even consider them decisions. Decisions are choices. Decisions focus your attention.

Have you ever had a habit that you wanted to get rid of? Maybe biting your nails or smoking cigarettes or snacking Or perhaps right now you have a positive habit that you want to create in your life – maybe you want to start exercising, or become a better listener, or start being fully engaged at work or even changing your career.

When it comes to breaking free from an unwanted habit or stepping into a new, positive habit, there are many theories about what works.

From finding a support group to finding a mentor or a coach.Other people will say that in order to eliminate a habit or develop a new, positive habit, we need to have knowledge and understanding about why we do the things we do. We need to look at the past and seek to know what causes us to behave as we do. Knowledge and understanding can be incredibly valuable.

I know for sure that I have a very addictive personality and over the years as I fought my many addictions, I have come to totally conclude that the key ingredient is making a decision.How ever its very helpful to know you’re not going to solve all the problems of your life in one decision, dont even kid yourself!

When we make a decision to do something, it’s amazing how many internal resources become available to help us to achieve our goal.Resources that are always within us- strength, courage, determination, patience and love and compassion for ourselves.

These resources are always within – but when we make a decision they become available, and we can harness their power and use it to help us to achieve our goals.

Often when we want to change something in our lives, we try. But what does trying imply? It implies the possibility of not succeeding. Or sometimes we hope that something will happen. When we are hoping, where is the power placed? Outside of ourselves.

When we make a decision, the power is placed where it needs to be – within ourselves. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

It’s scaringly true but sometimes it’s socially acceptable to be indecisive, to ask for others’ opinons, to ask permission from people before doing anything.

We get taught throughout our school years not to decide things. To answer to authorities, to live with policies we had no hand in setting, to show up on time, stand in line and do what we’re told without question.

This is good stuff by no means but like many will findout long after school, this is no preparation for real life.

"Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are, and then we make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else’s life.”- Eleanor Roosevelt

The author is a regular columnist
douglasfirst@gmail.com