Holiday Choices

No matter which holiday is celebrated this time of year, a common theme is apparent: what you get from life is what you put into it. If you choose carefully, the holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year. My pursuit in becoming an astronaut is very similar. Your career is only as ambitious as you make it.

As I walk through the mall and witness the bustle of the season, I see people making choices. To the sound of honking horns, some people choose to fight for the best parking spaces. Others choose to park far away from the mall to avoid the more “motivated” shoppers. Many people choose to do holiday shopping online. Even though online shoppers do not have to fight for parking spaces, they have to wait patiently for their gifts to arrive and maybe a shipping fee.

Depending on how the holiday season is spent, choices can dictate its outcome:

Will I spend my holidays celebrating with friends and family without the Ferrari? Or, will I spend my holidays crying in the driver’s seat of a Ferrari without friends and family?

Those who choose the turkey and gravy at dinner will not hunger.

Those who choose the spinach and tofu will not gain weight.

Those who choose that strange jello mold that might have cat food in it will certainly get indigestion. Life is full of choices with outcomes. The road to becoming an astronaut is one that involves many of these choices. In fact, the road to fulfill any passion is full of choices. The lucky individuals who receive the most from their careers are the ones who put the most into their preparation. Life is what you put into it, much like how we spend our holidays.