As I hemmed and hawed over a decision this weekend, my girlfriend reminded me, “You only have one life. How do you want to spend it?”
It’s a cliche, yes. As writers, we’re taught to avoid cliches like, well, the plague. We’re taught to cut them from our writing and fling them over the fence where they’ll no longer distract us from greatness. We’re taught to eliminate them at all costs.
But no one ever said we can’t use cliches to make decisions. And I find this one to be highly effective. Because when I add this into the equation, when I remind myself that this is my one life, somehow everything comes into focus. Somehow that makes the right decision so obvious that it’s hard to believe I ever saw this as a decision to begin with.
I totally get this! You have a really smart friend. I’ve been thinking something very similar lately about a path I’m tempted to take.
Yes! Rock on! Can’t wait to see what you’ve decided!
Cliches are cliches because they are usually true! 😉
I love this…Simple, straightforward, true! And so agree with Andi. Cliches are true and can be very helpful guides along the path of life. I have a hard time not using them in my writing because everyone knows what we’re talking about when we use them. Isn’t clarity wonderful?