Well I'm standin' at the crossroads (Elmore James)

Crossroads mean decisions and decisions happen all day long. Every day. For all of us.

Being a teacher is often about giving advice. That means decisions. Shed loads of them. Every day.

Mr Purdy, what do I do if ....

Sometimes, colleagues ask me advice too.

Warren, should I...

Less often, my grown up children also need a sounding board for their ideas.

Dad, could you...

Usually that means the person wants to talk and try out some solutions. Usually, people know that instinctively, and that's usually how it unfolds. Very rarely do I seek to offer a solution.

It's cool and good and great and I get it.

Everyday- decisions.

Recently, I read this article titled 'Choose or others will choose for you'. It made a great deal of sense.

No matter what kind of crossroads you’re at, it’s never easy to choose. There’s never a clear direction or a silver bullet. Everything comes with drawbacks and benefits, neither of which are apparent. Everyone has advice for you, but few people understand context. You’re unsure about your appetite for risk, and how much you value the reward. Worse yet, sometimes your brain prefers one path, and your heart wants to choose the other.

Lotta truth, right there. Bam.

Crossroads.

So, about that advice? Well - funny you should ask!

Dan Rockwell is a daily source for pearls of wisdom. 

Here he is on 'ways to look the beast in the eye':

• Create four options before choosing one path forward.
• Believe in your ability to learn, grow, and adapt.  
• Think more about taking action than doing everything perfectly.
• Hang with men and women of valor. Listen to people with battle scars. Doers are better than dreamers when it comes to looking the beast in the eye.
• Worry more about the next play and less about winning.

Go Dan!