Life is filled with confusing options and competing interests, which is I wrote my new guide, 5 Simple Steps to Choosing Your Path (www.wgranvillebrown.com).  

For better or for worse, your life is shaped by your choices and decisions, and knowing the difference between the two helps tremendously in organizing your will. There is a distinction between the two that goes far beyond semantics.

A choice, generally speaking, is a selection from a number of options, and a decision entails reaching a conclusion or passing judgment on an issue.

Why is this important to understand as we navigate our lives?

Here’s an example:  A friend of mine loved the year-round sunshine of Las Vegas, where she worked. But she always complained about being unable to break through the glass ceiling at her job. Finally, her company offered her a promotion: managing its new branch in Boston. Although this seems like a no-brainer – whether to grow with a great career in an exciting new city, or stay safe in Vegas – she clouded her mind as if she had multiple choices.

If Lisa had equally attractive career options in Miami and Philadelphia in addition to the Boston offer, she would be faced with choices. But actually, the options were between the safety and comfort of what she knew versus the unknowable future of a great opportunity.

Her dilemma begged a decision.

Much of the time, however, we face choices. Does the teenager choose to adhere to his curfew or violate it? Does the adult choose to spend all of his earnings or save part of them?

Once you recognize the choices in your life, you can think each one through and make the one that is right for you. That’s Step. 1. You’ll also need to recognize that, since it is your choice, you must deal with the consequences. You must accept responsibility for those choices.”

Brown's guide walks readers through his five steps using illustrative anecdotes to clarify points. The result is a how-to for anyone seeking to take control of their life.

Says one person who applied W. Granville Brown’s five simple steps: “I went from working at a dead-end job to going back to school and getting my degree in accounting.”

Says another: “You’re never too old to grow and learn. At 63, I’ve struggled with making wise choices my entire life. After counseling with Brown and applying his methods, I have a renewed lease on life.”