What's the question?
All along my journey as an adult, I've been asked to define where my life was headed. Some of those questions seem to keep rattling around in my head. Here are the biggest three questions that inevitably show up anytime I am faced with a huge decision.
What possible good can come from this?
I love this question. It speaks to the positive side of any decision. I know that "pros vs. cons" lists are a way to weigh the options, but this question just seems to be an open-ended list of possibilities. Outcomes usually are not foreseen. Except things that have a definite ending like "what goes up, must come down" or singing "Let it Go" for hours after watching Frozen, but the speculation that a good outcome is even possible just makes me think that the question is worth considering.
What is your plan?
Not that I'm a flake and have no plan at all, but this question always makes me have second thoughts about any plan that I have. Even expressing this in an article makes me question my planning skills. I know a detailed plan is good. I just feel that a plan that has too much detail that depends on all those details going exactly right is doomed to fail. There is no wiggle room for unexpected surprises. Even if you "what if" your plan to a very high degree, the one thing you didn't plan on...happens.
What have you done to make this a reality?
I was hit with this one when I was a young adult and it still haunts me. When I hear people talking about what they want or their future plans, I want to ask them this question. Heck, I ask ME this question when quite often. It gets right to the heart of the matter. Making moves to get what you want. It separates talk from action. In my house, we refer to those who talk a great game, but fail to deliver "thunder puppies". Thunder puppies usually start sentences with, "When I start (insert whatever activity or planned thing is here), I'm going to...". This statement is full of wonderful superhuman qualities like "get my Ph.D. in two years, become a professor, then get tenure, so I can enjoy my life".
Becoming successful includes answering some or all of these questions at one time or another. The answers are very personal and provide an outline that will become your story. So, ask yourself these few questions when life offers you an opportunity. You may find that your answers make the decision easy.