You may have heard me mention that my husband recently had a vasectomy. Yep, the dreaded V word for men… and he actually set the entire thing up himself. One day, literally, he simply decided that now was the time to get this done. He didn’t want me to have to take birth control pills (listening to the wise advice of my FABULOUS acupuncturist..
who also serves as our primary care physican and all-around health GURU:
www.virginiabeachacupuncture.com) and his words were, “Look, Michelle. We aren’t 23 anymore. We know we don’t want any more babies. It is just time to get this done.” And so it was.
But it was the power of his decision that had me “awed”. Once he decided it was time, he set it up, went through with it, and after a rather “touchy” recovery period, he is so glad that it is done. I wrote to my MasterMind group about his decision and wrote, “Ah… the power of NO(more)”, making a joke since we were all reading Jim Camp’s, “The Power of NO”.
But seriously, DECISION in and of itself is such a powerful thing. DECISION (true decision… commitment) propels us to action. Here are three of the most powerful “decisions” I have made in my life:
** The day I decided I would marry Chris… well before he even knew we were dating… =) The BEST decision of my life.
** The day I decided that I would not return to work after the birth of my baby. This prompted my entrepreneurial journey and allowed me to be the Mom I set out to be.
** The day I decided that “making ends meet” would no longer be enough… that I would be wealthy working my own way….This required me to step up my game and REinvent my business.
The truth is that we don’t have to know HOW to do something to do it. We simply have to DECIDE to do it. I didn’t know HOW I was going to make money from home when I quit my job. I didn’t know anyone that was doing it. I just knew that I had to do it because I had DECIDED to stay home with my baby. I didn’t know HOW women got through childbirth UNmedicated. I didnt know anyone that had done it- except for my Mom. I simply DECIDED that I would not get pain medication in child birth – at all. I didn’t know HOW I would become wealthy working from home. With the exception of a handful of very well-marketed internet marketers (whom I didnt want to emulate) I didnt know anyone who was actually doing it. I simply DECIDED not to settle for less than I knew I could create.
As I am writing this, I am reminded that in each of these “decisions”… I was “scolded” and “warned” and maybe even laughed at by people that I knew, trusted, and loved. I was told that “women didn’t STAY HOME with their children these days”…. that “it takes two incomes to make it”… I was told that “lots of women SAY they will birth naturally, but no one actually does it.. it is just too hard” and that “I shouldn’t be too hard on myself if I gave in and got the epidural.. everyone does it.”… I was told that I should “read the writing on the wall and get a real job” and that I shouldnt have dreams “so big”… AND THESE ARE COMMENTS BY MY FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS.
BOTTOM LINE: DECISION is powerful. Once I have set my mind to something… and fully committed… nothing but the grave can rob me of seeing it come to fruition… Because there is POWER in decision. Stay DECIDED…. Stay FOCUSED… Stay STRATEGIC! To YOU!
OUCH!
Hi Michelle,
Your blog is so timely for so many things I’ve been thinking about (not vasectomies, although we went through that a year or so ago) but making decisions, and doing it while knowing there may not be a net underneath to catch you. When you make one decision, the next step of the path is laid out in front of you, but it won’t present itself until you are committed to the decision. Like you, I have plans and lofty goals, and don’t really know nuch of it’ll happen but I do trust (most of the time) that the people, the circumstances and the nex thing I need to know will show up just when I need it.
Take care. I really enjoy your newsletters, blogs and your journey.
All my best,
Kim