Are there really wrong choices in life?

We are faced with choices every day of our lives; some are big and life changing while others may be little choices we make on a daily basis. How we approach these different choices plays a very big role in determining how our future turns out. Many will argue that we have no say regarding our future as everything depends on destiny.  Notwithstanding, how can we deal with present day choices without jeopardizing our future?

Ifeoluwa Kassim, 26-year-old banker, “I am torn between choosing a rich man and a man who is just starting life as a life partner. I know whatever choice I make today will affect my tomorrow. But my question is, are there really wrong choices in life?”

One of the hardest things we do in life is making choices and decisions and be comfortable with them, and not regretting later.

Ameera Ibrahim, 32-year-old entrepreneur, says “Choices are very important in our lives as they are the hinges upon which the paths of our lives turn. On many occasions, when we make choices regarding our lives, it sets a completely different course than if we had gone with other options available to us then. So, choices really depend on how comfortable we are with them.”

There are instances where we rush into taking a decision or making a choice that would end up affecting us positively or negatively. Nafisa Kamal, 37-year- old public servant, says “Some people make poor choices because they do not have the right information about whatever situation they find themselves. On other occasions, most people would rather go with their instincts rather than trying to make a positive choice. First instincts are always very powerful but it is advisable to sit back and think about the effect of whatever situation we might be taking, because at the end it always justifies the means. If you are following your heart, as society teaches us, you are more likely to make a wrong choice. But if you choose instead to reason with your heart, to reject the initial instinct and try to think correctly about the situation, you are much more likely to make the right choice.”

She went on to explain that, life being what it is, almost every choice has a down side to it, so there is always something to regret about it. Bad choices are not as common as most people might think. Choices are often made on the basis of what seems best at the time. Only later, when the results fail to meet our desired expectations, do we look back and say, ‘I think I made a bad choice.’  There is a saying that goes thus “You can’t follow your heart. You have to lead it.”

Whatever choices we make will ultimately reveal to us the real situation of life. The important thing is that ‘bad’ choices are recognized and not repeated in the future. There’s a famous quote: “Those that refuse to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”