Recently, I have been faced with some tough decisions, and ,of course, with each option faced before me there were many advantages and disadvantages to each of them. I'll be the first to admit that my decision-making process is far from perfect. and how I feel about something may change from moment to moment, but I came to the realization that no decision I'll ever make will come with 100% confidence. With that being said, I learned that I had to start making decisions for me, and learn to stop letting what's expected of me dictate my life.
Being able to make tough decisions is probably one of the biggest signs of maturity and growth. When in the process of making a decision, it's good to remember what will be best for you in the end, not what's best for your image. No matter what anyone else says, at the end of the day you'll only be happy if you put yourself first. Your life isn't designed to be a model of anyone else's nor is it supposed to be shaped by anyone but yourself! Asking for advice and listening to other's opinions is always good, but at the end of the day only your opinion matters.
With that being said, let me offer you a sign of caution: don't let your decisions directly hurt someone you care for. Yes, your opinions are the only that matter when you're making a decision for your life, but if your decision affects more than just yourself be cautious and mindful that you can bring others down. With me, I knew what options I had, and I heavily weighed the negative and positive consequences that came with each one. I knew and understood that not everyone would agree with what I chose, but at the end of the day I was comfortable and confident in what I had chosen. This is a feeling of satisfaction everyone should feel when they finally choose a path to go down.
So, how do you know if it's the perfect time for you to take the leap of faith? The answer is you won't. There's never going to be a time where you'll be 100% sure of your decision, but sometimes you just have to put faith in yourself and know that it's time. On a personal level, I was having a talk with a good friend of mine and he shared this with me, and it made me realize that I need to make decisions for me because, ultimately, only I can make them. 
You can't let the fear of the results keep you from making the decision, and the moment we realize that, we can accomplish so much more with ourselves. Often, we look back at the decisions we've made with gratitude because it changed us for the better, and gave us something we wouldn't have otherwise gotten. When we are choosing an option of the many face before us, we usually find out who we really are in those moments.
When you become bogged down with choices and the pressures of the world surrounding your decisions, remember the reason you started. Tough decisions are tough for a reason; they make you who you are. The fear of the future shouldn't stop you from living in the present, and making decisions is part of the present you can't let pass you by. Never forget that you only get one life to live so start living for yourself and not anyone else!
