The old man listened to the young man’s plight: convictions, doubts, wants, and dreams—indecisions that made him freeze, and hopes that moved him on. When the young man shared all he wished to speak, he waited for the old man’s reply.
The old man reflected, thinking across years, on wisdom attained—lessons learned in living. In memories and life, the old man found his answer.
“Those don’t sound like problems,” the old man spoke. “That sounds like life. Make of it what you wish. All things worth having carry risks. All rewards come with costs. I cannot answer your life question. You must find it for yourself. We own every choice we make—even our non-decisions.
Don’t let life be defined by choices never made. Whatever the decision—make it. Indecision is existence. Life purpose is what we will; life itself—experiences lived along our way.
Don’t end wondering what life might have been. Make it something. You know, already—at least for now—what you want…” The old man paused, his distant thoughts finishing in close-focus as his eyes trained and held, determined, on the young man’s undetermined eyes. “Will and follow through.”