You know, the kind where you're standing at a fork in the road, looking at two life paths ahead of you, knowing very well you can only live one and not the other.
Inspiring story, Cécile! For whatever it's worth, my favorite big decision guide is to ask, "Which route would make for the better story?" Sounds like you've naturally followed that path.
Interesting, a friend of mine also uses your question to guide his decisions too. Going on sabbatical and then quitting my job for self-employment definitely means I have more stories to tell than if I'd stayed in corporates for a very long time... some days it's hard to tell that story, but the days where you feel enthusiastic about it 100% make up for those other days.
Reminds me of a passage from the book on The Wright Brothers' story: "Their nephew Milton, who as a boy was often hanging about the brothers, would one day write, 'History was being made in their bicycle shop and in their home, but the making was so obscured by the commonplace that I did not recognize it until many years later.'"
It's funny how our body knows before our mind sometimes! I have also found myself asking everyone else for their opinion when probably somewhere deep down I knew the answer. I agree with your takeaway, it's still hard to know but for me part of the letting go is letting go of the "right" decision and going with what path calls to me.
So often I ask people for their opinion not because I'm planning on following their recommendation but because I'm curious to see how I'll react to their opinion :)
Also I definitely agree with your point at the end. The 'right' decision for me is the one you feel deeply called to (the one your body is guiding you towards) and not the one that you 'should' go for!
Great post, Cecile! I resonate with the essence of listening to your body and letting the decision “emerge” (that’s where the term “gut feeling” came from I presume).
It can be so difficult though as our minds pedal frantically to “figure it out” with futile effort.
Also, I smiled reading this because I too was faced with my first big decision in 2014 and it also involved moving to London, haha
Inspiring story, Cécile! For whatever it's worth, my favorite big decision guide is to ask, "Which route would make for the better story?" Sounds like you've naturally followed that path.
Thanks very much, Chris!
Interesting, a friend of mine also uses your question to guide his decisions too. Going on sabbatical and then quitting my job for self-employment definitely means I have more stories to tell than if I'd stayed in corporates for a very long time... some days it's hard to tell that story, but the days where you feel enthusiastic about it 100% make up for those other days.
Reminds me of a passage from the book on The Wright Brothers' story: "Their nephew Milton, who as a boy was often hanging about the brothers, would one day write, 'History was being made in their bicycle shop and in their home, but the making was so obscured by the commonplace that I did not recognize it until many years later.'"
It's funny how our body knows before our mind sometimes! I have also found myself asking everyone else for their opinion when probably somewhere deep down I knew the answer. I agree with your takeaway, it's still hard to know but for me part of the letting go is letting go of the "right" decision and going with what path calls to me.
So often I ask people for their opinion not because I'm planning on following their recommendation but because I'm curious to see how I'll react to their opinion :)
Also I definitely agree with your point at the end. The 'right' decision for me is the one you feel deeply called to (the one your body is guiding you towards) and not the one that you 'should' go for!
Great post, Cecile! I resonate with the essence of listening to your body and letting the decision “emerge” (that’s where the term “gut feeling” came from I presume).
It can be so difficult though as our minds pedal frantically to “figure it out” with futile effort.
Also, I smiled reading this because I too was faced with my first big decision in 2014 and it also involved moving to London, haha
https://www.alexandra-allen.ca/blog/mji2w63zr0qvy8o5ru35kqko286xd1
Thanks, Alexandra! I remember reading your post and thinking how funny it was that our timelines were aligned like that :)