Have you ever dreamed about what your life would have been like if you had only changed just one big decision? Just think about it. What if you had a do-over — got that one chance to go back in time and take the other fork in the road — the one that could have changed the course of your life?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrkr9Ipj1XA[/youtube]
I love the concept. It inspired my soon to be published time-travel romance, Beneath The Lake, as well as my new short story, The Promise. (Stay tuned for more details.) But alas, fantasy isn’t reality. No one can actually go back in time, but a do-over is definitely within the realm of possibilities. How? Well, my destiny unravels . . .
<!—more—>through the choices I make every day — and they all matter. If I don’t like where I am right this second, I can go STOP what I’m doing and CHANGE directions. It’s easy to physically walk away. But what about the bigger picture? It’s not so easy to make major changes — changes that would alter the course of my life. I have responsibilities; commitments, people who depend on me — and besides, there is no magic wand to miraculously change my circumstances for the better. So why rock the boat? Things might not be great, but they are okay . . . and that’s life, isn’t it? Well . . . maybe not. Each and every choice I make moves me in a linear direction that determines where my life is headed. The lunch I have, the money I spend, the people I hang out with. When I think about it, every part of my life has its own linear direction; my health, finances, relationships, faith — and my choices determine the direction of each of them. I think one of the greatest ahhh-ha moments in my life was when I heard my pastor, Andy Stanley, say that the choices I make write the pages of my life and unlike a book, once written, they can’t be edited. His words will always be seared in my mind, ‘When you write your story remember you only get one draft so make it a masterpiece.’ It’s easy to flashback on my life, but what if I flashed forward? Years from now when I look back on these moments, what will I see? I know that the choices I make today — right now, determine my future. I have the power in my hands this very moment to change what I’ll talk about when I look back on this chapter of my life. God truly directs my destiny. He opens doors of opportunity every day, but I have to choose whether I want to walk through them, or not. Okay, let’s face it, change is hard, especially when it involves other people, finances, property, etc. And besides, demons. What if I try to change something and I end up worse off than I am now . . . what if I make a mistake, or fall flat on my face. Why take the chance? Well, I think the answer is pretty cut and dry. As long as I strive for mediocrity, that’s precisely what I’ll get. That’s not what I want for my life. And even more importantly, it’s not the legacy or example I want for my children! I can’t let the ‘what ifs’ hold me back. So when something in my life needs tweaking, first I consider the pros and cons. If the rewards outweigh the risks, I swallow my fear and take a chance. Like Nike’s old theme, I just do it! Do you? Casi
I look at change as inevitable. Nothing stays the same. Yes, it is scary sometimes. But it is even more scary to be locked in a time warp that tries to stay the same. Demi Moore has discovered that age happens and that it is better embraced than resisted. People tend to look with pity at those who resist inevitable change. The great thing is that by embracing the future rather than trying to hang on to the past, we can enjoy the blessings that change has to offer.
Hi Casi. Very nice blog you have here. Regarding your post, we can actually go back in time. From my view, all past, present and future are in fact, co-existing NOW itself. We can revisit the past and change the mistake to affect our present circumstances. I just delivered a lecture on this, which can be found here:- http://www.holisticlivingannex.com/2012/03/beyond-time-we-are.html
So, as I see it (from the examples I have given in my talk) time is not linear after all. Anyhow, keep up the good work. Will be visiting your blog more often.