As I continue to move forward in my life, and as I constantly try to "find myself" through a mess of music, philosophy, and inspirational quotes, I seem to have hit a mental road block. Each day my body grows older, but my mind seems to have hit a fork in the road; I don’t know which path to take. I am constantly trying to expand my way of thinking and who I am as a person, yet every night I find myself saying, “Let’s try that again, tomorrow." Yet there seems to lie one single problem atop the mountain I am currently trying to scale: Not knowing what to think.

I do know that may seem vague or even juvenile, but the diagnosis is very legitimate. I just do not know what or how to think about most things in my life - my impending graduation, my future, that girl I saw on campus that one time, if I want Wedding soup or Tomato with Zesty Penne for lunch. Do I want to pursue a career in social media right out of college or spend a year traveling the world? What Netflix series should I start (I’m currently hooked on Shameless), will I get an iced or hot coffee at Dunkin this morning? What phone I should get when my contract runs out, what Spotify station to “discover” next, or which cologne should I use before leaving the house today?

Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. But through all of this I have come to one conclusion, albeit, an obvious one: there is too much choice in life.

Choice is an inevitable part of life. I like having a wardrobe full of different shirts perfect for any occasion, having the option to use either Davidoff Cool Water or Hugo Boss cologne when I go to work; I appreciate my choices when it comes to what brand of pen I write with and what notebook I write in. However, this abundance of choice has become overwhelming. This wave of choice causes me to become infatuated with always having 'something new' or buying yet another stupid little gadget, without appreciating or recognizing what I already have.

I have a bookshelf in my room filled with novels and biographies just waiting to be explored. However, without ever completing a single page, I become distracted with the forty other books that currently inhabit my ‘to-read’ list. Similarly, I am a huge music buff. I am constantly trying to find new bands and fill my digital library just so that I have the perfect song to play in the background of any situation, in any fairytale-movie story line. This leads me to go from album to album, artist to artist, song to song, rarely giving myself a chance to truly listen to the music playing from my speakers.

This choice involves even the most trivial decisions, too. I could be driving home from Target or some other store when I get the urge to stop at Rita's for a glorious treat. However, I then start to consider all of my options: the flavors, one-handed ability (for driving, of course), if I should bring some home for my parents; If I’m going to make the effort to go to Rita's, why not stop at the mall beforehand to do some extra shopping so I can avoid a second trip to Boardman? Should I be spending that $5 or $6 on Rita's or save the money for something else? And when I finally decide, should I take 164 or should I take Route 7 home?

By the time I do make up my mind, I've already driven past the custard shop and continue my drive home, annoyed and hungry.

This is just one example of the choices that run through my mind on a daily basis, but this overwhelming abundance of options has been dragging me down. It's like I get to the point of having so much running through my mind that I shut down, in a sense. Like I have so much to choose from or decide upon that I physically cannot single out any one item or idea, so I simply disregard them all. It's debilitating, annoying, and is seriously impairing my ability to function normally and live creatively. I want to live an independent, free-thinking and creative lifestyle, one in which I not only have the choice to live how I want to, but am not buried by my own burden. So, with that in mind, I am attempting to revisit a personal philosophy that I have tried in the past, one that perfectly matches my mantra that everything happens for a reason.

I am going to attempt to live by the rule of "yes or no." Simple as that. If I want to do something, such as stop for a freaking ice cream cone, then I am going to do it. If I really don't want to start reading another new book before finishing the one I am currently reading, then I won't.

It may sound simple and obvious, but it's not going to happen overnight. Plus, I’m not naive enough to let fall into a 'black or white' trap, unable to view different sides of a story or consider all my options or something like that. I am simply going to make an active effort to ease my mind in the sea of thoughts in which it sails. Maybe this plan will work, maybe it won't. But after all, anything in life worth doing is at least worth a try.