Whatever You Don’t Change, You Choose.
What will you choose today?
I remember a time when I felt stuck in my life. It wasn’t dramatic, there wasn’t some big catastrophe that sent me spiralling — no, it was much quieter than that. It was the routine — wake up, work, gym, repeat. Nothing was wrong, per se. On paper, it looked good. The job paid well, my friends were around and everything seemed to be in place. But deep down, something felt off. It’s strange how you can live in a world you built and still feel like a stranger in it.
One day, I was walking home from the gym, earbuds on, the same playlist on shuffle. And suddenly I thought: Is this it? Is this the life I’m going to live?
The question scared me. But what scared me even more was realizing that, up until that point, I had been choosing it. Not actively, but passively. Every time I didn’t question the path I was on, I was saying yes to a life that wasn’t fully my own. The strange thing was, no one was holding me there. I wasn’t chained to that way of living. But I stayed.
Not too long ago, I bumped into an old friend. After college, we drifted apart, each living our own lives. But one day, I saw him at the mall and decided to walk up and say hi. What struck me wasn’t the nostalgia, but the realization that not much had changed for him since we last spoke. He still had the same problems, the same habits. Sure, he had a job now, which improved his financial situation, but it hadn’t changed him.
It got me thinking — wasn’t he choosing to stay the same? Even though he had the means to change, he was still living the same way. Maybe the reason behind his problems wasn’t because life was tough. Maybe he wasn’t doing anything to make things better. He was just going with the flow, waiting for something to change him.
But life doesn’t give us miracles — it gives us opportunities. And if we don’t take them, we’re choosing to stay exactly where we are.
Every time you don’t move, you choose to stay where you are.
We like to tell ourselves that not making a decision isn’t really a decision at all. We think we’re buying time, and waiting for the right moment. But life doesn’t wait. And by not changing, we’re quietly saying, I’m okay with this. This is what I want.
But is it? Is this really what you want?
We often talk about change like it’s just around the corner. But somehow, that corner never comes. More money, more time — these things rarely appear on their own. I’m not saying change is easy. It’s absolutely terrifying — like standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the unknown. We don’t even know where to begin.
But if we don’t take that step, life will pass by and we’ll be left wondering where our life went. Inaction isn’t a pause — it’s a decision. It’s a choice to remain in the familiar because staying put is easier than stepping into the unknown.
We cling to jobs that drain us, not because we’re passionate, but because we’re afraid of what happens if we let go. We stay in relationships not out of love, but out of routine. With every day that passes without action, we’re quietly choosing the very life we say we don’t want.
It’s not about making a huge, dramatic shift overnight. It’s about asking yourself, What am I saying yes to by not making a move? Is this the life I truly want?
Standing still is an illusion. It feels like you’re moving, but in reality, it’s the world moving forward while you’re left behind.
The path ahead isn’t fixed, and your story isn’t written in stone. Every moment, every conversation, every day — whether you realize it or not — you’re making choices. The real question is, are you choosing what’s best for you, or are you simply choosing the comfort of not changing?
Because at the end of it all, we rarely regret the things we did — we regret the things we didn’t do. The chances we didn’t take, the dreams we let fade because we thought there would always be more time. But time doesn’t wait. Life doesn’t wait. One day, you’ll look back and realize that the life you’re living isn’t the one you wanted, but the one you allowed to happen. And that wouldn’t feel too nice.
Whatever you don’t change, you choose.
So, the real question is — What are you choosing today?
The moment you realize that, everything changes.
CtrlAltGrow is my passion project to bring to life all the little creativity I have in my head. All my work, the podcast & my blogs, will be part of this library of thoughts.
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