What Decision don’t you See?
When I got divorced 20+ years ago, the hardest part wasn’t ending my marriage. While that was emotionally awful, the hardest part was seeing that divorce was an option at all!
It was an Unseen Option.
[spoiler: the pic of Ace of Base below never happens unless I see the Unseen Option]
With my PE career ramping up and my ex-wife being objectively great, rocking the boat was nuts. But when she talked about having kids, I LITERALLY wanted to throw up. I’m no genius, but that’s a bad sign. Was I just nervous, or was something seriously wrong?
After deep introspection (thank you Tony Robbins!), the unseen option appeared… but I did NOT want to see it. I had gotten hitched 18 months prior and didn’t want a failed marriage at 29.
But once that option appeared, I couldn’t unsee it. I evaluated my marriage and life head-on, genuinely not knowing which path I would choose.
Eventually, I made the ugly decision to get divorced… which resulted in a beautiful life.
ALERT: I’m not saying you should get divorced 😊! You probably know that this email isn’t about relationships at all.
It’s about the realization that one decision can radically shift your timeline. Many things that are meaningful in my life today – from living in Europe to hosting workshops – would never have happened if I didn’t see the unseen option.
Is there an Unseen Option hiding somewhere in your life?
Maybe you no longer love your career, but still work 10-hour days. Maybe you don’t feel energized anymore, but don’t have a good reason why.
If you unearthed just one Unseen Option, and followed through with one decision, it could shift your future timeline for the next decade. It will probably be uncomfortable or daunting, but the impact would be enormous.
The turning of the New Year is an ideal time to reassess your choices – both seen and unseen – to ensure you’re actively shaping your timeline.
Cheers to a Beautiful Life,
Navin
P.S. Below that’s Ulf Ekberg from Ace of Base surprising us at my 40th birthday in Stockholm by singing “Beautiful Life”. It was a memorable yet hazy weekend.