There are too many types of yogurt.

Sugar-free, Greek, whipped, fruit-on-the-bottom, fruit-in-the-middle, strawberry, blueberry, guava mango papaya explosion! If you don't already know what you want, you can quickly find yourself overwhelmed. And that's just yogurt.

What about life?

We continually need to step back and readjust, especially when the fog rolls in.

I am slowing figuring out how to choose the essentials of life - those places where I find myself with an inescapable desire to invest and work and build. The following are three habits I've begun to develop to help me make the best choices I can make:

Regularly get alone to reflect. I've taken Greg McKeown's advice to start a personal quarterly offsite - one day (or half-day) alone each quarter to reflect on the previous three months, set goals, celebrate sucessess, and learn from failures. It has been incredibly helpful after reaching big "how did I get here" moments and having to re-clarify and re-route.
Ask "does this give me joy or sap my energy?" If you have an obligation that is thoroughly, consistently draining, it's time to ask whether it is a necessary activity. Perhaps it's a frivolous task, a periodic meeting, some extracurricular event, or a business relationship that's more trouble than it's worth. Often, there are circumstances through which we must simply slog in pursuit of a greater goal. Sometimes, difficult times lead to tremendous breakthrough. Nevertheless, perhaps there are aspects of your life that do you no good and can be eliminated. Conversely, there may be opportunities into which you need to jump, because joy and meaningful fulfillment are just around the corner.
Readjust as necessary. Not every choice is a good one. Instead of avoiding the fact, own it and chart a new course. Confess your mistakes, be ruthlessly honest with yourself seek counsel, and move forwards.

What tools do you use when life requires a readjustment? What questions do you ask of yourself to make sure you're on a wonderful trajectory?

What yogurt do you want to eat?