Life is a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight paths.

Many roads will come our way as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one side, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like with any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life.

What is the guarantee that you will choose the right one?

Do you just take any road, or stay where you are?

Life offers no guarantees.

Listen, when you’re traveling through life, you have no idea where the road you’re walking is going to take you…until you travel it. Life is about risk, and there are no guarantees. Nobody said that choosing to do the safe thing all the time will always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it will be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Starting a business does not guarantee financial success. There are so many possible outcomes with just about any decision you will make. Most of which you can’t control.

Being empowered means you aren’t afraid to push yourself and take those risks.

They say hindsight’s 20-20

Ok, so that choice you made probably wasn’t a good one. Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you still have gone along with it? Probably not. I mean seriously, why would you choose a certain path when you know it’s going to get you lost? Why make a certain decision, if you know from the very beginning that it’s not the right one?

Imagine getting a new hairstyle only to discover in your horror that it looks far better on the model than on you? Would you still do it?

It’s only after you have made your decision and reflected on the outcome that you know if it was good or bad.

But here’s the deal…you aren’t going to know the outcome until you take the leap.

Take the risk or don’t? You decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you don’t know if your decision is going to be right or wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and make a decision. Do you? Or don’t you?

Taking a risk is infinitely better than living in limbo. Sure, one wrong turn could get you lost. 

It could also be the start of an amazing new adventure. It’s all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveler or a tourist of life.

One word of warning…taking risks is not about being careless and stupid.

That being said, here are some things to keep in mind when facing life’s crossroads:

Get as much information as you can about your situation.

You need to be able to answer the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where, and why (and the how).

Who are the people involved?
What is the situation?
When did this happen?
Where is this leading?
Why are you in this situation?
How will your decision affect your life?

Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

Identify and create options.

What options do you have? Sometimes your options are few, but sometimes they are numerous.

What happens though, when you don’t see any obvious options?

When you just can’t seem to see any viable options, it’s time to put your creative mind to work and create your own.

From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Brainstorm…don’t shoot anything down, just let the ideas flow. You’d be surprised how often the most outrageous idea ends up being the right one.

Create a list of options and then:

Weigh the pros and cons of each choice.

Look at the advantages and disadvantages each idea offers you. List out the pros and cons of each so you have a clearer idea about the consequences they would bring.

Trust yourself and make your decision.

Listen to your gut. What is it telling you? I find that my gut is almost never wrong and make most of my decisions based on what it tells me.

Make your decision and truly believe that you are choosing the best option for you at this point in time.

You’ve made your decision. Now what?

Put on your favorite badass, get-it-done shoes and go check out the path that you chose. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems.

But the important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander watching life pass you by.

Whether it was the right decision or not remains to be seen, but whatever the outcome, have no regrets.

Learn from the good and the bad. Remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future.

Tracey Osborne

Guest Blogger

Known for her honest, open, and bold approach to women empowerment, Tracey Osborne is an empowerment coach, guiding women on their journey to move past their past and become the woman they are supposed to be.

A rape and domestic abuse thriver, Tracey connects with women on a global scale and supports them in their healing journey through her monthly membership program; Becoming Her – Healing the Trauma Within, private coaching, and her digital media company, Daring Woman; bringing them the tools they need to move past their past and create lasting self-transformation.  

No longer a silent victim, Tracey uses her voice to make an impact and encourage others to do the same through her teachings of empowerment.  Her mission is to raise awareness, facilitate change and empower women to reclaim their voice and inner power.

Tracey is a certified, volunteer crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line, a free 24/7 support line for people in crisis. She is the host of the weekly Daring Woman podcast.

She is the mother of 4 amazing girls and grandmother of 2 beautiful granddaughters. She wants to make the world a better place, so her girls never have to go through what she has.