Intentionality of Action

As I read FGB posts and hear from other women, I see a clear trend in facing ‘choice points.’ A choice point, as I understand it, is when you are at a cross road of sorts. When you are faced with a decision to pursue an option that fits the life you want/were meant to live according to your values or to move away from that life. I have heard other coaches refer to this concept and upon researching it, I discovered that it came from work created by Bailey, Ciarrochi, and Harris in 2013, in a book titled ‘The Weight Escape.’ The authors created a therapeutic model that essentially reflects intentionality and mindfulness in actions. Their interesting model is far more dimensional than I am making it sound, but for purposes of this post, I thought I would keep it simple.

I would imagine that there are many circumstances that can bring us to choice points. I made one in the past after a defining conversation I had with a manger, in which it became clear he did not understand the multiple complexities a working mother faced. For me it was a personal decision based on my own health and well-being as the stress of the grind was getting the best of me. To help me in my decision, I created a list of current priorities. And then – and I realize this is morbid – I created a list of priorities I would have if I only had one year left to live. I cried when I looked at the priorities that I had lost sight of when I was in the throws of work. How had I let myself get to that point? How was I to get back to the life I was meant to lead?

This one choice point created several more, I found. To manage the complexity, I set goals. Some short and some longer term that would get me back on track. Those goals were modified along the way as I intentionally considered what was working and not working for me. I am still a work in -progress but I am in a place where I know what my TRUE priorities are and I can make decisions that best align with those.

What choice points have you faced in your career? How did you make a decision that was best for you?