Decisions

Warning: I read this post after I wrote it, and I'd like to tell you right now, it is quite parenthetically drenched, if you will. So, although I do actually know the real use of parenthesis, for some strange reason, while writing this, I completely disregarded them. And now that you've been warned, continue on into the world of many many parenthesis.

So, when I have a decision to make, and I just can't decide what I want, I employ a tried and tested strategy (tried and tested by me, and it almost always works). What I do is, I place whatever it is I'm deciding between (whether the actual objects or representations of them) in front of me, and I play "Eenie Meenie Miney Moe" with them. Now, this doesn't actually make my decision for me (that would be a pretty lame solution to my problem, and would also make for quite a short and pointless blog post). What happens is, I land on one, and then if I am disappointed in what I got, I know what I really wanted. And if not, I know that it's actually what I wanted (or that it just wasn't that important). This strategy, although seemingly childish, is actually very effective. I'm not really sure when I started doing it, but it has certainly changed my life.

Now, the only problem with this is, it can only be used for fairly trivial things: what to wear that day, what to have for breakfast or dinner, how I want to do my hair, etc. I hope to be able to find a way to utilize this in future, more important decisions. "Should I be a biology major, or a sociology major?" "Should I continue dating this guy, or not?" "Should I live with this person, or that person?" The list goes on. If only these decisions could somehow be made simple. If we could but factor out the difficulty of the situation (I'm currently at work in the math lab, so I can't help but make math references), life would be so much easier.

Another thing I've wondered about making big decisions is how people who...well, let me phrase this differently. I've grown up a member of the LDS (Mormon) church all my life. One of the things that we believe and practice is that our Heavenly Father has an genuine interest in and plays an active part in our lives, and that if we need to make a big decision (or sometimes, even a small one), we can turn to Him for help in which decision is the right one. As such, I have always turned to my Father in prayer for help with many decisions that I have had to make. I rely quite heavily on His guidance. What I wonder is, how do people who don't turn to the Lord make these big decisions? And, more importantly, how do they feel confidence and assurance that the choice they have made is the best, most correct, or most beneficial of all the options? Although I may not learn what the outcomes of my decisions will be until after they have occurred, it is my faith in the Lord that allows me to feel that peace in the choices that I make.

Man. The church is true. I love it. :)