Three Choices Along Life’s Road That Determine the Whole Trip

” I’m not sure what the future holds but I do know that I’m going to be positive and not wake up feeling desperate. As my dad said ‘Nic, it is what it is, it’s not what it should have been, not what it could have been, it is what it is.’ “ – Nicole Kidman, after her split with Tom Cruise

First of all, fellas, sorry there are no pictures of Nicole Kidman here. You don’t really want to see a beautiful redhead anyway, do you??

Never mind.

Back to the quote at the top of the page – I love this quote!  I loved it the first time I read it, years ago when Nicole Kidman was putting her life back together after a devastating break up with Tom Cruise;  and I love it just as much today when life finds the gorgeous actress blissfully in love and starting a family with country music star and fellow Aussie Keith Urban.

I guess there’s a lot to be said for keeping your head up and your eyes on the road ahead.  You never know what (or who) is headed your way.

When bad things… things that are out of our control… happen to us we have choices to make.  The choices we make will determine just how “bad” the “bad” will be AND just how much of our future it will touch.

These choices are pretty clear.  We can either…

….get bitter or get better.

…..move forward or fall back.

…..learn from it or lean on it.

If you think of life as a long and winding road, disappointments and disasters can be thought of as anything that interferes with the ebb and flow of your trip.  Just as a road trip can be affected by rain, road work, vehicular malfunctions, other drivers, and detours – life has plenty of bumps as well.  Things that make you say, “This isn’t how I planned it!!”

Of course, in both instances, sometimes you simply lose your way.  Times when you have to regroup, remind yourself where you want to go and then drive off into the sunset again – vowing to hit your mark this time!

The point is, there will be problems ahead and they’re not all bad.  If nothing else, they keep things interesting and keep us on our toes.  They can even, if we handle them properly,  make us better – but if we allow ourselves to be overcome by them, they’ll make us bitter and angry, neither of which is very attractive.  Sometimes, in the words of Nicole Kidman’s dad, we have to realize, “It is what it is, it’s not what it should have been, not what it could have been, it is what it is.”

Stewing over situations doesn’t change them…it only changes us, and never for the better.  Let it go and move on.  Go forward, don’t stand still, and never, ever try to go back.

Not only should we choose better over bitter and forward over backward, we should pay extra attention to how we “play” the last choice as well.  We have to make certain that we LEARN from disappointments rather than LEAN on them.  They aren’t crutches or excuses – they’re lessons.  They aren’t tickets excusing us from doing our best, they’re trumpets encouraging us to stand up and give our absolute best.

~ Joi

For more inspirational quotes, click the link!  Sorry, there are no other pictures of Nicole Kidman there either.