You’re Only Ever A Few Decisions Away
Meet Gwennifer.
(She’s someone I made up at 4am this morning as I couldn’t sleep due to a mozzie feasting on my flesh – but stay with me.)
Gwennifer is single, doesn’t hate her job but doesn’t love it either. She’s always thought she might like to study psychology though she’s never dared to utter it aloud as she went to uni over a decade ago, spent the appropriate time drinking cheap beer while completing an Arts Degree and not-fully-appreciating the amount of holidays she had.
She’s also “34 and too old as it’ll take four years and she’ll be 38 and broke when she’s done” (direct quote from Gwennie’s fictional head).
But guess what? In four years time, our pal Gwennie is going to be 38 – so she can either be 38 years old with a psychology degree OR 38 years old without a psychology .
Here’s the few decisions that change her path and articulate the point I’m trying to make to you, my dear reader. (Sorry, always wanted to write that.)
Decision 1:
Texts her co-worker, Debbie, who’s on mat-leave about what her plans to return to work are. Turns out Debbie wants part time work but there’s currently no part-time roles so she’s in a tizzy.
Decision 2:
Contacts uni’s re psychology degrees and discovers there’s six points of entry throughout the year – not just the start of semesters – meaning she can start in 6 weeks.
(Swinburne University in particular calls her incessantly to get her to enroll – If you’ve ever had anything to do with Swinburne, you’ll feel that.)
Decision 3:
Decides to chat to work – they’re on board as it saves their corporate butts re Debbie’s desire to return part-time. Gwennie and Debbie can job-share.
Decision 4:
Gwennie registers for uni.
Result:
Eight weeks later, Gwennie is a uni student LOVING life, learning and the coffee shop around the corner from uni that has the good, unhealthy muffins with raspberry and white chocolate.
There’s a cute boy in her class that she’s vibing, and while she had to quit the gym and Netflix now that she has a reduced salary, she loves walking to uni and finds she doesn’t miss Netflix one-iota. (She too busy learning the ins-and-outs of the human psyche!)
In four years time, she’s still 38 years old – but she’s 38 years old WITH a psychology degree and a fiancé she met at uni. (Guess who it is!)
See? Four decisions. Fresh and fabulous Gwennie.
Meet Darcy.
Darcy is also a figment of my imagination – in which she has beautiful honey-brown wavy hair and olive skin – but closely based on real-life situations I know and have heard too many times.
Darcy likes her job but hates everything else – she hates her share house in Sydney’s inner west (it’s constantly messy and her roommates are nightmares); her boyfriend’s a wanker but they’ve been together so long she thinks she should ‘stick it out’; sick of her morning walk route; hates her dumb boring hair (which isn’t boring – it’s fabulous – but she thinks it is because she hates everything else).
She’s also famously indecisive.
Decision 1:
Her friend, Antonella, asks her to help with a market stall to sell all her stuff as she’s moving to Lennox Head – Darcy’s reluctant but she can’t sit around at home and listen to her housemate, Rachel, talk about how she thinks her boyfriend might propose soon any longer so she agrees.
Decision 2:
Antonella listens to Darcy whinge and whine about her life for the gazillionth time (as she’s a good friend) then asks her if she’s considered moving – tells her she’s got a free room in the place she’s renting in Lennox Head as she’s nervous about sharing with a rando.
Darcy ums-and-ahs but decides to DO IT
(Particularly as Rachel asks if her boyf can move in and Darcy realises it’s only going from bad to worse).
Decision 3:
Her boyfriend doesn’t want to go – she ditches him. Her work is closing the office to save on overheads – she can work remotely.
See how it all started with making the decision to help a friend with her cute market stall? Note: she did NOT decide to change her hair – she loved it again once she make a few choice life decisions.
Meet Sergio.
(If you know me well, you’ll like this one.)
Sergio lives at home with his parents – thanks to COVID and some failed travel plans – and works for himself as a web designer. He has money in the bank that was for an overseas trip to the Galapagos that got postponed indefinitely once the second round of lockdowns hit.
He’s miserable, whiney and complains that his mum always asks if he’ll be home for dinner (tough life, eh?)– or if he’s going to get a girlfriend, get married and give her grandbabies. He spends a lot of time on social media and he sees a converted van, called Velma, on Facebook Marketplace.
Decision 1:
He buys Velma and decides to travel around Australia. (As well as get adequate insurance.)
One decision, countless adventures. (Do I sound like an inspiring/cheesy tourist ad?)
Meet Bernadette.
(Sorry – just one more to show you the decision doesn’t have to be huge.)
Bernadette loves her life but wishes she could meet a nice fella. Her cousin is opening a cafe and has asked her to help on Saturdays. She’s bored and has the time, but kinda can’t be bothered. Her cousin is desperate and continues to ask her.
Decision 1:
Agrees to help out at the cafe – serves a super cute boy every Saturday morning for a few weeks.
Decision 2:
Agrees to go out on a date with said super cute boy.
(Spoiler alert: they fall in love and get married and have lots of babies and puppies and one goldfish.)
What seems like a small decision, can be life-changing.
The point? Regardless of whether it’s an opportunity presented to you or one you create yourself:
You’re only ever a few decisions away… from happiness/something life-changing/a new adventure or experience/everything you’ve ever wanted.
But you have to be open and brave enough to make a decision. There’s no right or wrong decisions, good or bad paths – just stagnant and indecisive.
Want to make a change? Sick of feeling blah? Ready for a new experience? Looking for adventure? Or wanting to simply want to wake up in the morning?
All you have to do is decide.
