THE FLIP-FLOPPER 194/365

making a firm decision

can be difficult

when it is made with

the intention to 'please'

THE IMPERFECT DECISION MAKER - 181/365

what appears to be a

"wrong" decision

may simply be an opportunity

for a profound experience

THE PONDER-O-SIR - 119/365

"I'm giving that some thought....I'm going to mull it over....after I toss it around in my mind...then I'll try it on for size...maybe weigh it...then possibly chew on it some more...after which I'll consider ALL of the options before I make a firm decision."

My Reflection:

My father used to have a saying while playing cards...."study long, study wrong." I guess that's okay for playing poker but probably not applicable when faced with one of life's important choices. I'm always feeling a bit conflicted - on the one hand I want to make an intelligent decision on the other hand I don't want to obsess about it either.

Perhaps the best course of action is to sleep on it...then if it doesn't prove to be a good decision, I can always blame it on my subconscious! Ha...if that would only work! Maybe I just need to remind myself that there are no "wrong" decisions in life...simply opportunities to experience being "human."

Question:

How do you decide?

Clay Ingredients

Sculpy Translucent

Holtz Distress embossing powder (vintage-photo)

THE WISHY-WASHY-ONE - 112/365

"Uhhhhhh....I don't know. It's possible I might want to do that...but maybe not. I don't know. Not sure. Just can't say...maybe yes, maybe no. Hmmmm....let's see. ........Okay...YES...YES...Yes...yes..y....wellllllll...maybe not. Uhhhhhhh...I don't know."

My Reflection:

What is so hard about making a decision or taking a stand? Is it really THAT important to be right? I guess the answer is "yes"...why would I want to be wrong?

On the other hand, why not just accept that there are consequences to EVERY decision and what may seem like a bad consequence for today, might possibly transform into something good tomorrow?

Perhaps the best decisions are the ones made with the highest intention and the least expectation - that way, no matter what happens I'll know I made the decision with integrity.

Question:

How do you make decisions?

THE HIND-SIGHTER - 109/365

"I saw that one coming...I tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen...if you had listened to me we wouldn't be in this mess. The hand writing was on the wall...plain as day for all to see....everyone but YOU obviously."

My Reflection:

Like everyone else, I try and figure out the future and then plan my actions accordingly. The problem is, the future has a mind of it's own and doesn't always see eye to eye with the present.

I'm learning that depending on how I view them, I have the power to make all outcomes eventually favorable. And that perhaps the ability to transform my future by making peace with the present, is a much greater gift than making accurate predictions.

Question:

How accurate is your "hindsight?"

THE WAIT...ER - 108/365

"I'm waiting...I'm waiting to see what YOU do...then I'll figure out what I'M going to do. What I do will depend on what you do first because if I go then you don't go in the direction I'm going I won't know where to go next. So...I'm just going to wait."

My Reflection:

Taking care of my own needs will sometimes require I head off in a direction that may or may not be right for others. It can be scary to move on and not know if anyone is going to follow. And if I'm feeling particularly insecure, I may even accuse others of facing the wrong way.

But if I'm being honest, I'll admit that while we all have an inner compass, "true north" can be different for everyone and that as we stand in the landscape of our own lives, there's a possibility we may simply be facing a different direction.

Question:

What direction are you facing and what are you "waiting" for?

THE INVENTOR - 67/365

"I'm wearing the new wire "head" hanger I invented - pretty cool huh? Ask me any question and listen to the "head hanger" come up with the answer. It's easy to fit and once you hang your head on this, you'll never use your own shoulders again."

My Reflection:

Sometimes, I'm so anxious to come up with the answer to an issue, I'll invent just about anything to justify my conclusion. If I can't come up with something reasonable, I'll go to a psychic or Tarot card reader and let them do it for me.

But in the end, I'm reminded that "answers" to issues can't be unwrapped like a present.  Rather, I must allow them to "unfold" in the day-to-day living of life.

Question:

How do you seek the answers to your questions?

THE EAVESDROPPER - 64/365

"I've got my antenna up so I can hear EVERY word!

Sh...if you keep talking to me, I might miss something important - some tidbit of information that I can collect and use later on.

Besides, if I don't listen in, how will I know what people REALLY think? No one ever tells the truth - and I need to know the TRUTH."

My Reflection:

I often wonder, what is the "truth?" Is it information based on "facts" or information based on my assessment of the facts?

I've noticed that when I jump to a conclusion that I "know" the truth, the less likely it is to be "the truth." On the other hand, the more questions I ask, the more facts I uncover, the closer I come to an accurate assessment of the situation which allows me to create a truth that is right for me.

I've learned that the "truth" doesn't reside in one location - it hides in many different places at the same time and only reveals itself when it is genuinely pursued.

Question:

How do you pursue the truth?

THE SQUINTER - 34/365

"Wait a minute...just give me a minute would you? if I squeeze my eyes together real tight like this, I can block out all of that other stuff.

Why do I need to look at EVERYTHING? It's not relevant - it has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm looking at and should be "squinted" out as far as I'm concerned. Besides, it's distracting and just confuses me to look at all of that. I'll make my decision based on what this looks like, not on how it looks in relationship to everything else. How dumb is that?"

My Reflection:

Have you ever wanted something so much that you just can't think about it objectively? Like The Squinter, there are times when I can't seem bring myself to look at what I want in relationship to everything else. If I did, I suppose I'd see it for what it is and know it isn't right for me. But, instead I shut out everything else and make up a story to convince myself that it's going to work out just fine. I then end up "buying" it or "saying" it or "going" to it only to realize later on what I should have known in the first place... that it isn't right for me.

Perhaps looking at things in "hindsight" won't be necessary if I keep both eyes open and remember not to squint.

Question:

How do you make decisions?

THE DECIDER - 5/365

"Gee, I don't know. There are so many choices here. So many fun things to do that I just can't decide. Hmm.....okay, I think I'll do this. NO WAIT...maybe this. Yes, this looks like the right thing. I can't wait to.....to.....hmm....I don't know. Now THAT looks REALLY interesting! THAT could be it - maybe it IS it! I'm sure of it. Wait..........."

My Reflection:

Have you ever had an idea or maybe an opportunity and thought, "this is what I've been waiting for - this is the very thing that's going to fulfill me. If I can just do this, I know that I'll be happy - it's what I am meant to do." This has happened to me more times than I care to admit. After the initial stage of euphoria, I'm suddenly distracted by other really amazing ideas. In fact, I think that's where ideas come from - each other. They multiply like little jack rabbits and before you know it, they're all over the place. Or, maybe what I'm really experiencing is the overwhelming task of bringing them into reality. So much so, that I become conveniently distracted by bigger and better possibilities. Sometimes, I'm not sure what is worse - feeling stuck with no ideas or getting stuck with too many.

Question:

Where do you stand?