1-1-1: there is no 'right decision'

there is only a decision, and what you decide to do about it.

april, 2025

edition 74.

the sun is out in london and, as we know, that increases the mood of the city by +10 automatically. today I got out for an impromptu run at lunch because I remembered that it* isn’t that serious (* the ‘it’ in question being running, but it could also be life). even though that was the Worst Run Of My Life and I had to stop five times and I was running at the pace of a literal snail, I am reminded that I don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it. so I’m learning to find joy in the process, because that’s all life is. unfortunately, or fortunately, it is just one big process.

I’ve been loving the instagram reel trend where people post videos of mundane things with the caption ‘this is the point.’ I feel this way a lot recently, but especially on days when the sun is out in full force. (side note: it feels like my personality thaws in the spring). in the spirit of this trend and going along with my weekly story share of ‘three things tuesday,’ here is a non-comprehensive list of small joys that we may overlook:

dropping our phone and seeing that our screen/protector isn’t cracked, the first sip of water in the morning when you have a parched throat, the one tree in your neighbourhood you get to witness going through the seasons, your go-to order at your local coffee shop (what a privilege it is to be comfortable in a space near you), running for a train and getting on at the last second (it’s only embarrassing if you miss), and planning a night in with your roommate — for me, this just so happens to be my sister.

it’s like that love actually quote: if you look for it, I have a sneaky feeling, that you'll find that love, is actually all around. except love is joy.

okay, my personality may need to freeze up again just a little. not sure who this sappy person is right now xxx

finally, this edition is free but some of my editions will not be. if you find my writing valuable and you want to support my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber — a monthly subscription is $6, around a price of a coffee. you’ll get access to all of my previous editions, free and paid.

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you can expect one email from me every week containing:

• one quote that has been inspiring me

• one journal prompt

• one piece of advice*

* = if you want to submit a question for my upcoming emails, you can find the form here.

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podcast

there are tons of guest episodes on the podcast from 2024 that are worth checking out — listen to them here <3

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one quote

image by case kenny

one journal prompt

during any big life decision, ask yourself this (amongst other things): what information do you need to feel more comfortable with this choice?

one piece of advice

“I’m moving next year to study abroad and trying to decide exactly where I’m going has turned me into an anxious little ball.

There are so many good options and I feel like this decision will dictate my future. What if I go to the wrong place and I don’t succeed professionally because of the place I chose? What if I decide to go somewhere and in a year I find out that my decision wasn’t the right one?

How do you know you’re taking the right decision? How do you know which path to choose?”

this is an old question so the decision has already been made (sorry!) but maybe, if you’re still around and reading this, you might find some comfort and truth in this advice section. p.s. I’m always reading through the advice box of this newsletter so feel free to join in on the conversation.

in life, we have the decision and we have what we decide to do with it. sometimes it’s easier to get caught up in the decision that we don’t think about the after, the what comes next. it’s easier this way: to know that there’s a limited number of options to ponder and to write excessive pros and cons lists about and to people-chat your way to an answer. but once a decision is made, most times you still have to live in the aftermath.

now, that isn’t to say that the “aftermath” is scary and horrible and we have to live with the regret of the wrong choice — not at all. it’s only to say that making the decision is half the battle, the other half is actually having the lived experience of your decision.

when I was in high school, our assigned summer reading was a book called where you go is not who you’ll be: an antidote to the college admissions mania by frank bruni. coming from a rigorous private school, anything less than a 4-year college was frowned upon* and the prestige of your school had to do with how low the acceptance rate is. I remember having to justify that even though my college’s acceptance rate was 34 percent, it was a women’s college, so it was ““more like 17 percent”” (me now looks back and wants to yell “who even cares !!”).

* - mainly it was a big, fat no to trade schools or community colleges or, god forbid, gap years

a great takeaway from that book is exactly the title: where you go to college does not define your future success. college is so much more than the name or the size of the endowment (although I’d be remiss not to mention that these things do factor into the opportunities available to you while at college) — so the decision of which school to go to is not as important as who you become once you get there.

there are a lot of points in our life where our paths diverge. which college you choose, which place you decide to study abroad, what job offer you take, what city you move to post-grad… on one hand, there are a lot of places to “screw up” and make the wrong decision; on the other, there are a lot of places for growth and different experiences.

ultimately, one experience isn’t “right.” the world isn’t black and white like that. there are too many unknowns to allow ourselves to base our enjoyment of something on the simple fact that we chose to do it.

the best decision is the one that feels the most correct at this time in your life. will you look back at your decision and feel regret? maybe. but you (in the future) are operating with information that you (in the past) didn’t have access to. all we can ever do is make the decision and put one step in front of the other. ultimately, there is no ‘right decision.’ there’s just a decision, and what we choose to do after we make it.

p.s. I find that making a decision, any decision, alleviates so much stress. most times I feel paralyzed with the weight of decision making and I think that prolonging something will make it better. I am wrong every single time. a decision is better than no decision at all.

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reading updates

currently reading: maybe you should talk to someone by lori gottlieb, into thin air by jon krakauer

finished this week:

• n/a (help I need to pick up a book)

reading challenge: 12/50

if you want to keep up with my reading throughout the week, this is my goodreads :)

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discount codes

these links are affiliate which means I'll earn commission if you purchase through them. thank you for the support!

• Runna: personalised running training plans — katieeu for 2 weeks free

• lululemon: my current list of favourite things

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enjoyed this edition?

until we meet again,

katie