“I must have a prodigious amount of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up!” ― Mark Twain

Recently I was faced with making a decision between two jobs. Now it wasn't a huge decision like you see in the movies, where the protagonist gets offered their dream job, but unfortunately it's thousands of miles away from their loved ones, and they're torn between chasing their dreams and staying put. No. It was a lot less exciting.

Nevertheless, it got me thinking about the choices we make in our day to day lives. From the small decisions about where to grab a coffee from that morning, or the slightly more important choices, about which school or university you'll attend. Isn't it bizarre how these sometimes seemingly insignificant decisions can shape huge aspects of our lives? 

For example, when I was trying to decide between these two jobs (my extremely indecisive nature did not help), I sought the help of friends and family. My tutor at the time also tried to advise me, and gave me an example from her own life. She said that when she was around my age, she was offered three different jobs on the same day, one of which was abroad. It turns out, she opted for the latter, and ended up meeting her husband there (who she now has a child with).

I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that if on that day, her instinct had told her to stay in the country, and choose one of the jobs closer to home, she would not have met the man she is now married to, or even have had her son!

Similarly, you never know where choosing that particular coffee shop, or university, or that path to go for a walk down, can lead to. You never know who you might meet or what might happen, which is so unnerving but exciting at the same time.

Luckily for me, I am a firm believer in predestination which saves me from the dreaded 'what if?' But sometimes it is interesting to think about what could have been, if you'd said yes instead of no, and so on.

P.s. The book (and film) One Day by David Nicholls, kind of explores this idea, which is why it's one of my favourites!

'I have a theory that every time you make an important choice, the part of you left behind, continues the other life you could have had' - Oranges are not the only fruit, Jeanette Winterson. (P.p.s. Not only is this a fantastic quote but isn't it an amazing concept for a book or film?!)

:) x

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” ― Allen Saunders

If you're anything like me, you make plans. I have countless notebooks full of to do lists, a jam packed diary, and constant thoughts circulating my mind.

For as long as I can remember, I've been a 'planner', not one to take risks or be spontaneous, (I mean I couldn't possibly do something if it wasn't a part of my schedule haha), and this has always worked for me. I've often been told by friends, to 'just go with the flow', but this has never been quite my style.

From plans to achieve certain grades, to plans about having done certain things by the time I reach a certain age, I've planned it all! But what happens when things don't go to plan? In fact, what happens, when what actually occurs, is the complete opposite of what you'd planned for? Sometimes this can leave us feeling crushed, disappointed and lost. 

But more often than not, whatever it is that hasn't gone to plan or turned out in your favour, whether it's missing your flight or as big as breaking off your engagement, it is in fact, exactly what you needed.

I'm a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason, and sometimes your plans 'failing', can actually open your eyes to other opportunities that you hadn't even acknowledged.

Say for example, you've wanted a certain job for as long as you can remember, and this is what you've prepared for your whole life. Now for some reason or other, let's imagine you don't get this job, and that career path is no longer an option for you. Instead of having a breakdown and feeling like it's the end of the world, sometimes you just need to step back, analyse the situation, and open your eyes to the countless alternative paths available to you. The ones you hadn't planned for, but that's okay.

I've definitely come to learn that you don't need to have every minute detail of your life planned out, and that it's okay when things go wrong. Whether you believe in God, fate, science, or even nothing, know that whatever is meant to be will be. Of course you should go out there and chase your dreams, but when you stumble along the way, remember that maybe, just maybe, that fall was actually the best thing that could've happened to you (and prepare yourself for bigger and better things to come!)

There's nothing wrong with planning, and I for one won't be stopping any time soon! But it's important to remember a few key things:

- Don't lose sight of what's important.
- Don't take the present for granted while you're planning for the future.
& Finally,
- Have realistic and achievable goals & expectations, but nevertheless, dream big!

:-) x