On the Art of Getting Out of Bad Decisions
If there is one thing common among all people of all time, it would be the fact that we’ve all made bad choices in life. There is no need to walk around feeling guilty about those choices or to feel like all is lost because of the repercussions those decisions have had on our lives. Instead, there are things we can do to get out of many of those bad decisions and, if at all possible, it’s time to be proactive. Don’t let bad choices ruin your life going forward. Take steps to make things right!
Take Responsibility for Those Choices
Before you can do anything at all, you need to own the choices you’ve made. Whether they were conscious decisions on your part or a by-product of your lifestyle, own up to what you’ve done, or not done, as the case may be. Now you are ready to go about getting out of some bad decisions you’ve made. They were your decisions so it’s up to you to settle them.
For example, some people are compulsive shoppers and get in way over their heads. Did you buy a new car or perhaps a vacation timeshare that you can no longer afford? Once you’ve made the decision to get out of that bad decision, remember, sometimes help is available. Instead of getting the car repossessed, discuss with the lender the options you might have. In the case of the time share, you might just have a hard one there unless you contact a company like Escape Resolutions who can get you out of your contract through the process of liquidation. There is usually something you can do, so once you’ve owned up to it, be proactive in taking steps to resolve the issue.
To Act or Not to Act – That Is the Question
Although you would like to make amends to anyone your poor choices may have impacted, it may not always be possible to do so. In fact, in the 12 Step recovery program of AA and NA, Step 9 focuses on how to handle making amends for our choices which have had an impact on others. To quote, we should try to make amends “…to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
This may be one of the hardest choices you’ll ever have to make. Should you act or just let it drop? Sometimes trying to make amends may cause further harm so learn to let it go. Err on the side of caution always. You never know when you might, at some point in the future, be able to do something about it. For now, let it go.
Learn to Forgive Yourself
In the words of the 18th Century English poet, Alexander Pope, “to err is human, to forgive, divine.” No, you aren’t a deity but you can make a divine decision now in forgiving yourself. Remember, to err really is human. We all make mistakes and even if we made conscious choices which ended up being a grave error in judgment, we are human and we all make mistakes.
Forgive yourself first before you can expect others to forgive you. Then, move on to getting out of bad decisions and/or making amends. Remember, there is only so much you can do so don’t beat yourself up over it. Learn from your mistakes and move on from there. Tomorrow is always another day.
