One Choice Away

Ever find yourself sitting in total silence, maybe staring at the ceiling or your phone, thinking... How the heck did I get here? Not like in a dramatic movie moment, but just that quiet realization that somewhere along the line, something got off track. Maybe it's your job that just sucks the life outta you. Or a relationship where you feel like a background character. Or maybe, you just don’t recognize yourself anymore.

Yeah — same. I’ve had those moments too. More than once, actually. And if there’s one thing I’ve picked up along the way — and trust me, it wasn’t always graceful — it’s this: you're seriously just one choice away from changing everything.

I know, that probably sounds like some motivational quote from Instagram. But I’m not trying to be deep or poetic. It’s just real.

Change is... well, it's messy. It’s scary and awkward and doesn’t come with a guidebook. But you know what’s even scarier? Feeling like you're just floating through your own life, watching it happen without any say.

I remember when I was like 23 or 24 — stuck in this job that looked okay on paper, right? Decent pay, benefits, my own little desk with a sad-looking plant on it. But man, every day was a copy-paste of the one before. Wake up. Commute. Emails. Meetings that could've been emails. Come home. Eat something quick. Scroll aimlessly. Sleep. Repeat. I felt like a ghost just dragging myself through the motions.

Then one night — and I still don’t know why that night — I stayed late at the office. Everyone else had dipped, and I was sitting there staring blankly at a spreadsheet. Totally zoned out. I just thought, Is this it? Like… is this the rest of my life? So I opened up a blank doc and typed four words: I want something more.

That’s it. No grand plan, no resignation letter, just a tiny flicker of something. But weirdly, it cracked something open.

From there, I started doing little things. Waking up a bit earlier to mess around with writing again. Signed up for this random weekend workshop even though I was super nervous I’d be the worst one there. Eventually started applying for different kinds of jobs — stuff that freaked me out a bit, honestly. Fast forward a year: new city, new gig, and for the first time in ages, I didn’t feel like I was sleepwalking through my own life.

Here’s the thing people don’t talk about enough: change doesn’t always come from some huge, dramatic shift. Sometimes it’s tiny. A whisper instead of a scream. Like deciding to say "no" to someone who always drains you. Or saying "yes" to something that kind of terrifies you. Reaching out to someone you miss. Taking a class, or just taking a damn break.

Those little moments? They matter.

I’ve seen it in other people too. Like my friend Emma. She struggled with anxiety forever but kept it bottled up — always looked like she had it together. Then one day, she just... talked. Told one person. That turned into therapy, which turned into healing, and now she’s the one helping others open up. All because she made one choice to stop hiding.

Or my cousin. Honestly, dude was headed down a rough road in high school — skipping classes, partying, hanging with some not-so-great people. Most of us kinda figured he was lost. But then this one teacher took a chance on him. And more importantly? He said yes. That tiny yes became college, then a job helping teens who are where he once was. One moment. One choice.

Now, to be real, not every decision leads to some movie-ending happy life. Sometimes you make the brave choice and still hit bumps. That’s life. But every choice nudges you. Redirects you. And if you keep choosing — even when it’s hard — you slowly build something better.

So, if you’re feeling stuck or lost or just... off — here’s what I want to say:

You’re not broken. You’re not trapped. You’re just one choice away.

One tiny decision. One small step. That’s all it takes to start pulling the thread and see where it leads.

And maybe, just maybe… today’s the day you do.