Sometimes the decisions you make influence
your life more than you realize down the road. And the only time it dawns on
you is when you’re 5 years older and reflecting back on what life would’ve been
like back then had you made another choice or decided not to do something that
you did.
Of course, we have all sorts of decisions like
these. Half the time, they’re for the better and we do better in life because
of them. On the other hand, you have some questionable decisions that end up
impacting your life more negatively than you would’ve hoped for. This is a
conundrum in life that we’ll always have to face, especially because it’s
something we’ll never conquer. Think about it: no matter what you do, there
will be good choices and bad choices. If we could all see the better option
advertised as such right when we choose it, well, we’d never have bad choices.
But since life isn’t full of billboards telling you what’s best for you, you’re
forced to navigate through your years hoping that you’re making the best
choices available to you.
Just today I was pondering my own life and
where I would’ve been 3 years ago had I decided to not go back to school for my
graduate degree. I know here and now that I would’ve had half the student debt
I do now while also having a two year headstart on my salary, other debt, and
investments.
Would this decision have been better for me?
In a financial sense, it definitely would have. And I can sit and dwell on that
information as much as I want, but the best way to look at life when you feel
things are down is to peek at the side from the other end of the spectrum. When
I weigh my potential happiness and interest in life in both hands, going to
grad school opened up my mind and my hobbies and happiness far more than I ever
would’ve realized if I just kept teaching. To me, this is far more important
than my financial situation being more comfortable, if only because my
happiness and interests and love for life are what make me who I am.
Sometimes I end up rooting around in some old
shipping boxes that contain photos or clothes or games from my undergrad years,
and it fills my mind with memories and regret and emotions that are hard to
comprehend. While it’s easy to get caught up in those feelings and thoughts, I
know that those items in the shipping boxes are merely just items now, and
dwelling on the past does me no favors for the here and now. If we all just
focused on the present more, life would turn out to be a much more positive and
healthier place.
