Will my decisions today affect my tomorrow?

Will I be able to bear the consequences?

I have made so many decisions in my young life that I often sit down to brood about how my life would have turned out if I had taken a different path.

Would my life have been better if I had made a different choice? Would I be happier? Or did I dodge something I wasn’t even aware of? But over time, I’ve come to realize that those thoughts don’t serve me. I didn’t take those paths, but I took this one. And this is the only one that matters.

I once read somewhere that decisions are like tiny pebbles thrown into the river of life, each causing ripple effects far beyond what the eye can see. In simpler words, you only know the now; you don’t know the consequence of whatever decision you make now will lead to. Some choices seem small at the time, like picking a university, a career path, or even deciding where to live, but over time, they shape the lives we build. Once a decision is made, the only thing left to do is walk forward.

One of the biggest choices I made was when I decided to step away from tech. I had spent some years preparing for a future in the field, yet something inside me felt off. I wanted something else, a corporate career. It wasn’t an easy decision. Walking away from something I had invested so much time in made me question myself. Even now, I wonder where I’d be if I had stayed the course. But does it really matter? That’s not the road I took, and I refuse to waste time regretting it.

And then there was OAU. At the time, it felt like the right university for me. But what I didn’t know was how much it would slow me down. A four-year course stretched into nearly six. Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I had picked another school; would my life have moved faster? Would I have been further along in my career? Maybe. But that’s not the path I took. What’s the point of looking back when the only way is forward?

Or when NYSC posted me to Abia State, I redeployed. On my way back to Lagos, I kept wondering what would have happened if I had stayed. What kind of experiences would I have had? Would I have met someone who changed my life? Fallen in love? Achieved something unexpected? I guess I’ll never know, and that’s okay.

Recently, I made another big decision. At first, I was sure it was the right move, but now, doubts are creeping in. It’s beginning to look like I might have made the wrong choice. But I hold on to the hope that, in the end, it will positively shape me. or not. Either way, it’s a path I chose, and I will walk it.

The truth is, we don’t always know if our decisions today will bring us joy or regret tomorrow. We just make the best choices we can with the information we have, hoping that we’ll be able to handle whatever comes next. Only God knows tomorrow, and sometimes even our best-laid plans don’t work out as we hoped. But maybe that’s the beauty of it.

I’ve realized that dwelling on the paths I didn’t take won’t change anything. The ‘what ifs’ and ‘could haves’ are just distractions from the reality of where I am now. I didn’t take those other roads, but I took this one. And whether it leads to success or not, it’s mine to walk. Instead of looking back with regret, I choose to move forward with purpose, knowing that every decision I’ve made has shaped me into the person I am today.

My story is unfolding, and as long as I keep moving forward, learning, and growing, I know I’ll be okay.

It feels good to finally be able to publish my first blog post of the year, and I’ve really missed my Medium family! I have so many life updates, and I look forward to sharing them with you!