Hard Decisions are What We Make of Them

Did you know I like numbers? If you know me, then you might be chuckling to yourself because the answer is an obvious yes. One of my football coaches wanted to get me a jersey with the number 3.14. Much to my mothers chagrin, but to me and my fathers delight, many dinner conversations revolved around math. I have a math brain, meaning I want to quantify decisions. I want to make each decision using math and logic. What happens when each choice has nearly the same quantitative score? This is the definition of a tough decision. Each choice is just as good as the other, but which one is the best? 

Making a tough decision is hard. Some major tough decisions include, where to go to college, what to major in, where to live after college, who to marry, to have a family or not. These all have a large influence on what our lives will be like. Naturally, we all want to make the best decision possible. We want to know which choice will lead to a better life. We tend to think that one path will make us happier and more successful. We think there is a right and wrong decision. I think that the rightness or wrongness of the decision is what we make of it. We can ultimately decide whether the decisions we make are good or bad. It is all a mindset.

I encountered the first, tough decision that would greatly affect my future this past May. Where to college. I had the decision narrowed down to four choices. Clemson, Appalachian State, UNC-Asheville, and UNC-Charlotte. Clemson was my first choice because I had been a huge fan since I was a kid. Clemson offered my preferred majors in Engineering and Mathematics. The only downside was that I didn't know anyone going, and the total out of state cost was around $40,000 per year. App state only offered Mathematics, but I knew many people going. App state was also located in a small town that resembled the one I grew up in. Asheville also only offered Math, but was located 30 minutes from home meaning I could attend and potentially help coach the high school football team that I love and played for. I also received a large scholarship to attend Asheville. Charlotte offered Engineering and Math. I also had the potential to room with two good friends that I grew up with and went to church with. No matter which school I decided to attend, the decision would have been a good one. This is what makes hard decisions so tough to make. There is no one choice that is better than the others. 

As you can see, I decided to attend to Charlotte. I thought I had made the wrong decision at first. I missed home, friends, and playing football. I sat in my dorm wishing I was throwing a football. The football team at Charlotte was unexciting, while the team at Clemson was vying for a national championship. There wasn't any mountains in Charlotte, while App state and Asheville were both located in the mountains. I spent a lot time dwelling on what Charlotte didn't have and what the other places had. Only when I realized what Charlotte had to offer did I realize that I had made a good decision. Charlotte has a wonderful engineering program that I love. There is someone new to meet every day. I lived only a few miles from every restaurant imaginable. There was actually a lot of people at Charlotte that were like me. Football games were still fun to attend to hang out with friends. The point is that Charlotte didn't change at all to make my experience better. Charlotte had been offering the same things all year. The same people had been at Charlotte the whole time. What did change was mindset towards Charlotte. I decided that Charlotte was a great place and searched for the great things. I became a part of great and fun things, and what do you know, I'm loving every second of Charlotte. I put myself behind a decision. I decided that Charlotte was the best option. I created ways to make it great.

Yes, my life would have been much different If I had decided to attend a different college over Charlotte. But would it have been a better different? No one knows. I also would have been a different person. But a better different person? Again, no one knows. Life would have been what I made it. 

I have the right to make tough decisions. I am the one that ultimately decides what I can and cannot do in life. I can decide what to major in, where to live, who to marry, or to have a family. I could decide to hate the amount of work that engineering has. I could decide to live in Charlotte and focus on only the fact that there aren't any mountains. I could decide to marry a beautiful girl, but only focus on the things I don't like about her. I could decide to have kids and wish I had more time to watch football. I decide to do the opposite. I decided to focus on the amazing people and wonderful opportunities that engineering has. I will decide to live in Charlotte and focus on the fact that Charlotte has an endless amount of opportunities. I will decide to marry a beautiful girl and focus on the things that make her beautiful. I will decide to have kids and be thankful for the opportunity to teach them the game of football. 

Hard decisions are what we make of them. We should be thankful that we have the right to make hard decisions. We should be thankful that we can make our life what we want it to be.