I just watched my 76 year old father-in-law cut his acre of lawn. And yes, Robbie offered to cut it for him and yes, he said no. (Is there something about men and their “control enthusiasm” for a perfectly cut lawn that only they can cut it perfectly?!?!)
But did you read that first part? How Tom is 76 years old and chooses to cut the lawn himself, the entire acre? I say he’s choosing…because he is. My in-laws bought this property a couple years ago and did the cost/benefit calculation for the “Enjoyment vs Maintenance Time ratio”…and still bought the property. So he cuts. And cuts. I can still hear him cutting the front lawn now.
This is what the yard looks like…totally worth it if you ask me!
I want to talk about intentional choice and accepting that we’ve made conscious choices and what to do after those choices are made. Those who know me, know that it takes me a little bit to make a big decision but once that decision is made…I stick with it. I roll with it for a while, see where it’ll take me. I stop complaining. I consciously stop agonizing over whether I made the right or the wrong choice and I stop regretting that I didn’t make a different choice.
Once I’ve gone down the path of that particular choice for a while, I will stop to re-evaluate. Because maybe the ratio calculation gives me a different answer now or maybe the circumstances that propelled me to make the original choice have now changed or maybe I hate the outcome of the choice and desire a different outcome. Whatever the result of this new analysis is, I make a new choice.
Staying the course is a choice – doing nothing new is still a choice. Changing the course…yep, new choice. Making slight adjustments to deadlines, stakeholders or budget…also choice.
Why might you care about my decision making process and why is choice important? Because if we don’t make conscious choices, we can get overwhelmed, feel stuck or anxious or just plain don’t do anything new with our lives. And honestly, thinking about (read: agonizing over) different options takes up so much share of mind! Typically, way more share of mind then making a choice and then executing on that choice…usually the pain and suffering we feel while deciding on the choice is way more painful than the actual choice itself.
Resonating with anyone?
We’re making choices everyday (clearly) and whether they’re big or small, inconsequential or substantial, they matter…so make one and then roll with it until it’s time to make another.