I Have the Right to Make My Own Decisions

Life is all about making decisions. From the moment we get up until the moment we go to bed, we face a multitude of situations where we have to make decisions. Sometimes the decision is simple: What should I wear today? What should I eat? But other times, choosing between one option and another can involve important life changes.

Our circumstances change depending on the options we choose. We shape our own lives and ways of being through what we do. Choosing what to study, which career path to follow, where we want to live, and who we want to be with are decisions that influence both the present and the future.

Would you be the same if, instead of choosing the major or profession you have now, you chose another? What would have happened if, when you met that one person, you let them go? How would your life be if you hadn’t put an end to that situation?

I make decisions about the things that affect me

Obviously we can’t decide everything that happens in the world. It must be clear who decides and what they’re deciding. We can’t make decisions about things that don’t concern us. Just like others should respect our decisions, we should respect theirs.

However, some matters concern us directly. Decisions that only we should make, because they affect only us. Who we want to be with, or who we want to leave behind, what we want to do with our time or our bodies; these are matters that we all can and should decide for ourselves.

Even when we don’t want to decide, we decide. This is the paradox of human beings. We continuously communicate our intentions even when we don’t want to. Not making a decision is a decision in itself, the decision to postpone or not do something.

Only I know my own circumstances

You might feel judged by other people sometimes when you do or say something. Maybe the people around you don’t share your point of view, and that can lead them to express their opinions on what you should or shouldn’t do.

Despite their good intentions, it should be only you who decides. You can ask for other people’s opinions and listen to them patiently, but when it comes time to choose, the responsibility is yours alone.

Only you know your own circumstances. You can lend someone else your shoes so that they feel what you feel for a moment, but even if they experience your feelings, it will only be for an instant. Only you know what it’s like to walk in your shoes day after day. Only you know the path you’ve trodden, where you are in this moment, and where you want to go.

Whether it’s right or not, it’s my decision

When we make important decisions, we have doubts. Having doubts when considering various options is practically inherent to being human. There is no absolute certainty, and nobody can guarantee that what we choose will be a good or bad decision. However, there’s no way of knowing if an option is correct or not if you never take it.

Once you choose, you might be right, or you might not, but you’ll never find what’s waiting for you if you don’t dare to take the first step. There will always be doubts, and there will always be a risk of making mistakes. The only way to not fail is to not do anything, not decide, not choose, not advance.

We have the right to make our own decisions about the things that directly affect us. We should respect other people’s decisions, just like they should respect ours. Above all, regardless of the decision we make, the most important thing is that we do what we really want to do.