Do you ever find yourself stuck in thinking you have limited options? Today I want to share with you how I put myself in that box… and how I broke out of it.

I recently attended a week-long event in Boston. I was super stressed as I prepared for the trip. There were plenty of details to juggle, one of them was where to park. The streets of Boston aren’t exactly easy to navigate in a car and I was hoping for an easy arrival.

The hotel website listed valet parking, and in my head I’m thinking, “Phew!”, but it was way more expensive than I would have preferred. But, it seemed like the only option, so I told myself that was what I had to do.

On the final day of the event, I was sitting at lunch when two women nearby started talking about their cars. One of them said she’d used SpotHero, the parking app I already had on my phone. 

In that moment, it hit me. I realized I had never asked myself the question I offer so often to my clients: What would I love?

If I had paused long enough, while planning my trip, to ask what I would love in terms of an ideal parking situation,  the answer would have been obvious. What I really wanted was a safe, reasonably priced and easy parking spot, close by, with the simplicity of dropping off my bags and strolling a short distance to the hotel.

It was possible. It was right there, in the app on my phone. But, instead of opening my mind to consider what I would truly love, I had settled for what was in front of me, believing I didn’t have a choice but to accept what appeared to be the only option. 

This small parking example may sound simple and frivolous, but it illuminated something profound. And it couldn’t be more relevant.

Most of us have been taught to expect that options are limited, life is hard and more often than not, we have to choose a direction that’s already proven or make do with the limited options we see in front of us.

Never believe you’re out of options when the options you’re given don’t light you up.  Said another way:  when the options you’re aware of are ones you don’t prefer, asking, “What would I love in this situation?” is ALWAYS an option.

Not only is there an answer to every question, but the quality of our life is determined by the quality of the questions we ask ourselves.

Answering “What would I love in this situation?” could lead you to more creativity, more ease and more freedom to enjoy an array of soul-sparking options.

To your inspired ideas 🙂