During the course of our lifetime we hear so many opinions about so many things. Everything from what foods are good for you to what is appropriate to talk about at work to how many dates to wait before you have sex to what is cool in fashion or where is the best place to raise a family. Not only are we bombarded with others opinions on everything under the sun, but those opinions change. When we are young we may hear what is the best amount of time to wait before we have sex with a new boyfriend/girlfriend, but by the time we are of dating age, that can change a great deal. We may not have any attachment when we are younger to living in a particular state or city, but when it comes times to choose, we think back to what other's have said. How could we not? It's no wonder we have confusion when it comes time to make important choices.
I am wondering if all our lives, we hear so many different opinions, how do we make the best choices when the time comes? Whose voice do we listen to? Like me, if for years you hear how risky weight loss surgery is, how do you go from resistance and fear to taking the risk? It can be an interesting turn of events that leads us to any decision we make, especially the important ones. We may wonder, will I be disappointing my family if my family's members collectively believe it is not a good idea to marry someone of a different religion or race, I go ahead and fall in love with someone of color or a different religion. Am I letting my friends down, if they all like a certain type of music, and I like an offbeat genre that they balk at? Will people who have always said, bariatric surgery is very dangerous be supportive of my decision.
Now we all at first reaction say, "Who cares what others think?", but it really is how we come to make our opinions about various things. It's not that we need validation or approval, but we only had other's opinions to go by. So who do you listen to? In an attempt to make the best decision for us, we listen to what others have had to say and base our opinions on that. Now, I am not saying everyone, always makes their important decisions this way, but it does come into play, more for some than others. No one wants to make a poor choice.
I believe the way our decisions are made is by ultimately listening to their own voice. Your own voice is the only one that truly knows what's best for you at any given time. Yes you may get flack for a particular choice, but at the end of the day, the only person we answer to is ourselves. We can weigh all the positive and negative things we know about a particular thing, but ultimately we will do what WE want. The answers for you are in YOU.
It is easy to get hung up or confused by many opinions over many years based on changing values and newly learned knowledge. The final action comes when a leap of faith is taken after listening to your own heart. Every outcome will be different for everyone of us and how we feel about something we truly won't know until it is in front of us. It's about the action and the risk. It's about trust. Not only trust that we made the best choice, but trust that if we didn't, we will be ok.
When I was deciding to have my surgery, I had this overwhelming calm that no matter what, I would be ok. Whether I lost weight or not, I would come out the other side changed for taking the risk. Nothing has ever changed me more.
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