The Small Decisions That Change Your Life

Most of us imagine that our lives will change because of one big moment. Maybe it will be the day we get married, retire, land our dream job, or finally move to a new city. We picture life changing in dramatic ways, almost like the turning point in a movie.

One thing I've noticed after doing readings and talking with people over the years is that life usually doesn't work that way. More often than not, our lives change because of the small decisions we almost don't make.

It's deciding to take one class, applying for a job you aren't sure you'll get, accepting an invitation you almost declined, taking a short walk after dinner, or choosing patience instead of irritation. None of those moments feel life-changing at the time because they seem so ordinary. But little by little, those ordinary choices begin to add up.

Looking back, many people can point to one decision that changed everything. A conversation led to a new career. A hobby introduced them to lifelong friends. A simple act of kindness repaired a relationship. One healthy habit became the beginning of a healthier life.

I've seen this in my own life, too. I always wanted to write a book, but for the longest time it felt overwhelming. How do you write an entire book? One day I finally told myself, "I'm not going to worry about the whole book. I'm just going to write one page." Then one page became another, and before I knew it, I had finished my first book. If someone had told me back then that one day I'd have more than 65 books published, I would have thought they were crazy! But one page? I could write one page.

The interesting part is that none of those moments seemed especially important when they happened. They were just another ordinary day until years later, when it became clear that one small decision had sent life in a completely different direction.

I actually find that encouraging because I think we spend far too much time waiting for the "big" moments to come along. We wait for the perfect opportunity, the perfect plan, or the perfect time to begin. Meanwhile, every single day gives us another chance to take one small step in the direction we want to go.

You don't have to change your entire life this week. Most of us couldn't even if we wanted to. But we can all choose one thing. We can make one phone call, read one chapter, take one walk, save a few dollars, reach out to an old friend, or finally start something we've been putting off.

Those choices may not seem impressive today, but over time they can lead us places we never expected. Sometimes the biggest changes in our lives don't begin with giant leaps…they begin with one small decision. So maybe today isn't about changing your whole life; maybe it's just about deciding what your one small step will be.

 

The People We Never Forget

Have you ever wondered why some people are impossible to forget?

Sometimes it's someone we loved. Sometimes it's a teacher, a friend, a coworker, or even a stranger we met only once. Long after the details have faded, we still remember something about them. Maybe it was something they said, the way they made us feel, or simply the timing of when they crossed our path.

After helping people for more than 20 years, I've realized that the relationships people remember most aren't always the longest ones—they're the ones that changed us.

Some people encourage us. They help us believe in ourselves when we've forgotten how. Others challenge us by testing our patience, our boundaries, and sometimes even our hearts. As difficult as those relationships can be, they often teach us lessons we carry with us for the rest of our lives.

Then there are the people who seem to enter our lives at exactly the right time. They may only be part of our lives for a short while, but somehow they leave a lasting impression. Looking back, it's almost as if they appeared just when we needed them.

Of course, not every relationship feels positive while we're living through it. Some leave us disappointed, confused, or heartbroken. At the time, all we can see is the pain. Yet years later, many of us realize those experiences changed us in ways we never expected. We became stronger, wiser, more compassionate, or simply more willing to choose differently the next time.

The people we remember most don't simply leave us with memories. They leave us different from who we were before we met them.

In my own life, I can think of people I haven't seen in years who still make me smile. I can also think of people who challenged me in ways I didn't appreciate at the time, but who helped shape the person I became. Today, I wouldn't erase any of them from my story because each one taught me something I needed to learn, even if I didn't realize it at the time.

Maybe that's why we never really forget certain people. They didn't just become part of our story; they became part of who we are.

Who came to mind as you read this? And what did they leave behind?

The Advice I Find Myself Giving Most Often

One of the things I've noticed after helping people for more than 20 years is that, although everyone's life is different, many of us struggle with the same questions. We wonder if we're making the right decisions, why we keep repeating the same patterns, whether things will ever get better, or if we're somehow falling behind everyone else.

After thousands of readings and conversations, I also realized that I often find myself giving the same pieces of advice. Maybe one of them is exactly what you need to hear today.

The first is to trust yourself a little more than you do. So many people come to me believing they have no idea what to do, but as we talk, I can usually hear that they already know the answer. They're just afraid to believe themselves. Fear has a way of making us second-guess our own instincts, and sometimes all we really need is someone to remind us that our inner voice deserves a little more credit.

Another thing I tell people all the time is that you don't have to figure out your entire life today. We put so much pressure on ourselves to have a perfect plan, but life rarely works that way. Most of us only need to know the next step, and once we take it, the next one usually becomes much easier to see.

I also remind people that just because life feels like it's standing still doesn't mean nothing is happening. Some of the biggest changes in our lives happen over time. We don't always notice them while they're taking place, but when we look back months or years later, we realize we were changing all along.

One of the hardest lessons for many of us is accepting that we can't control other people. We can't make someone love us, understand us, apologize, or change. As frustrating as that can be, it's also freeing. The more energy we spend trying to change someone else, the less energy we have to improve our own lives.

And then there's something I wish more people would do: be kinder to themselves. I can't tell you how many people carry around guilt for mistakes they made years ago or hold themselves to impossible standards they would never expect from anyone else. We all make mistakes and we all have regrets. That's part of being human.

Finally, I often remind people that it's okay not to have all the answers. We naturally want certainty, especially when life feels uncertain. But life isn't something we solve once and for all. It's something we experience one day at a time. Sometimes the greatest peace comes from accepting that we don't need to know everything right now.

Looking back over all these years, I've realized that most people aren't really searching for predictions—they're looking for reassurance. They want to know they're going to be okay. They want someone to help them sort through the noise so they can hear themselves again.

If there's one thing I hope people take away after talking with me—or even after reading one of my books or this article—it's that you probably have more strength, more wisdom, and more resilience than you give yourself credit for. Sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement to remember that.

Out Now! Intuitive Tarot: The Missing Piece

Intuitive Tarot: The Missing Piece – How to Read Energy Not Just Cards is the book I wish I'd had when I first started reading tarot. Like many readers, I spent years learning card meanings, spreads, and traditional interpretations. But eventually I realized there was something else happening in the readings—something that couldn't be found in a guidebook. The cards were telling a story, and that story was often found in the energy, the patterns, the first impressions, and the conversations happening between the cards themselves.

If you've ever looked at a spread and thought, "I know what these cards mean individually, but what are they actually trying to tell me?" this book was written for you. Through personal stories, practical exercises, and a down-to-earth approach to tarot, you'll learn how to trust your intuition, recognize repeating themes, understand the difference between feelings and outcomes, work with challenging cards, and read with greater confidence and clarity.

Whether you're brand new to tarot or you've been reading for years, this book will help you move beyond memorizing definitions and start understanding the deeper messages hidden within a reading.

The cards already have a story to tell. This book will help you learn how to listen.

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