HEY, GATEKEEPER: YOU CHOOSE LIFE

 

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

An intelligent beautiful woman gatekeeping /Photo Courtesy /Sora Shimazaki

Choose Carefully

You choose life. This has always been the cardinal rule. One that no one tells you about. But somehow, you are supposed to know about it. It is also your primary task to know it. Again. No one tells you about that too. But this is important. You need to put yourself in charge. As early as, when you start thinking. I am not sure if that makes sense. However, the most important thing is that you got life. You are alive. And you breathe your own breath. Start taking responsibility early. Prioritize what matters to you. Prioritize your own life. Choose things carefully. Become the best gatekeeper of your own life. Not everything is good for you. Identify only what you need. We have a lot of things. And a lot of people. But you don’t need all of them.

You only need a number of things. Mention only a number of things. That is the most important work of a gatekeeper. To identify things that matter. And signpost only those things that matter. What matters to you? Especially when you are choosing life? When you lose your parents at a young age. And by young age I mean being a child. Like you are nine or ten or even 13 years-old. What are you supposed to do after that? Lose yourself? Develop into your worst version because you are bitter? When you are on your own. How do you make your decisions? This is where responsibility begins. This is when you are supposed to put yourself in charge. And make decisions that smell progress. But the real question. Do you have the energy, motivation, or even the wisdom? Because life has just dealt you a major blow.

You have lost your parents. You have lost everything. You really worked hard. But you have nothing now. At this point. What kind of person must you be to choose life? What mindset do you need to nurture to know that you choose life? But you are just a child. How do you put yourself in charge? Good question. But again. You decide the type of person you would like to become. Whether you have everything you need to become someone or not. The choice is all yours. You can decide to let circumstances define you or put yourself in charge. And make responsible decisions. Reaching this point does not matter whether you are a child or an adult. Choosing life requires responsibility. You must decide as an individual what you want. It does not matter whether you are hurt. Lost everything. Or have everything you need to become something.

Think Straight

A smart professional choosing life /Photo /RDNE stock project

If you are the gatekeeper. You must learn how to think. You must know when to put emotions aside and see life for what it is. Putting emotions aside does not mean denying that you are hurting. Putting emotions aside means you are maturing in the difficult. And taking charge when it is necessary. Lead yourself. Lead your life. Don’t give circumstances permission. Think responsibly. Choose a number of things that your life needs now. Right in your vulnerable moment. Your life needs you. It needs you to prioritize it so that you can make progress. Choose what matters. Choose what builds you. Choose what leans you into becoming a person of integrity. Choose life. Choose growth. Choose maturity. These are some of the things that most people don’t think about when they are hurting. But you are the gatekeeper. Decide what goes in and what goes out.

This is very important. And again. No one will tell you about it. But you are expected to know about it. Life expects you to know what you are doing every day. It does not matter whether you are having a good day or a bad day. Know wisdom. It will save your life when you lose your parents at a tender age. Seek wisdom to help you recollect yourself when you lose everything you have ever worked hard for. Choose responsibility during your most turbulent times. These are definitely not the things that people want to do during hard times. But you got to decide. Because life is chosen. Everyone who has ever become something after a tragedy. Chose life. There was pain. There was disappointment. There was no energy. However, someone saw the bigger picture. This is what it means to choose life. It is always not pretty.   

Messy is Growth Moment

A beautiful illustration showing how people choose life /Photo /Ivan Bertolazzi

People choose life not because it easy. People choose life because that is what is at stake. During those messy moments. That is when your responsibility is needed most. That is when you are needed to rise. This is when your integrity and discipline need to reign above everything. Because you are already helpless. The next closest thing during vulnerable moments is to lose. Because the perfect condition for losing have already been set. The ground is already slippery. Your energy is gone. You are broken. You basically don’t want to do anything. And maybe, depression is slowly knocking on the door. This is actually the moment you can lose your dignity. And find reasons to justify it. In fact, everyone will understand you. They will empathize with you. However, is that what your life needs? Is losing what is at stake? Think a little.

Hey, gatekeeper. Make the right decisions. Look at circumstances before you. And then look at where you are going. What do you need for your future? Can empathy alone sustain you? Can being weak support your future? You choose life not because that is what you want to do. You choose life because that is the most responsible action you need to take. Circumstances can advise you to give up. Because everything around you looks bleak. And when it is dark like that. What are you supposed to do? Just fall because that is the next easy step? Do you see how choosing life can be tough? In your weakest moments. You are struggling with everything. You are actually struggling to remain alive. You are struggling to catch your breath. In fact, this is not the moment to think straight. Your emotions are all over.

But you got a task ahead of you. Will you slip at every step, or will you steady yourself and see the slippery ground? This is what it means to be responsible. When you are not in the mood. When all odds are against you. This is when you decide to live. In these messy moments. That is when you choose life. This is when everyone is supposed to know there is a gatekeeper. Someone that is willing to stand. Someone that has chosen to vet. A person that has shortened his or her list of things. During those hard times is when you take what is only necessary. Things that nurture your character. Wisdom that positions you for tomorrow. Knowledge that sets you apart from the crowd. Food that nourishes your body. Company that is a voice of reason. You decide all these things. Because the power to break or build is in your hands.