Milestone moments navigate us. We don’t know what matters to us until experiences come along that offer us a way to get to one of them. Perhaps you’re in a pursuit of knowledge, so want to achieve goals in the shape of qualifications and a career to match. Or maybe a family is something you’re striving for, so pursuing strong relationships and good communication skills to create that foundation will be the way forward. Ultimately, though, you need to know what matters to you in order to know what you want. And when it comes to knowing what you want, you need to identify what’s right for you in a world of choices that all have their own unique appeal.

There are going to be multiple doors to choose from in your life, and they will recenter your inner compass, dictating which direction you will follow. The challenges come when multiple doors come along at once and each one offers something that you want, but also they can’t all necessarily be opened. Something has to give. A sacrifice. And you can’t work out between them what that is. It’s driving you crazy. That’s when you have to look inside yourself and choose that way. There’s no clear message. It’ll be offered in the form of comfort and certainty you can feel from within. If making a choice makes you feel uneasy, it’s worth listening to that. It’s telling you that choice isn’t what you want.

In some cases, knowing what you don’t want will be easier to discover. Such as, you don’t want to be treated like a friend of convenience any longer. Or working a job where you’re served little or no respect. Or in a relationship where you’re met with inconsistency or inconsideration. Times like these, it’s worth following the principle of teaching others how to treat you by what you accept, end or reinforce. You can’t force people to be good or care or be what you need them to be. Potentially, you may be able to compel or influence others to see reason, but there’s no guarantee. So pay attention to how you’re feeling. People won’t always be honest with their intentions or thoughts, but you can determine them by their actions and whether you will or won’t allow them. That want. That choice. It’s yours. If there’s anything that delineates self-love, it’s showing the world what you’ll consent to in yours.

As for when you’re met with multiple doors of conflicting nature, you’ll have to prioritise which ones you wish to open. You may have to compromise. You may not be able to. But ultimately, the most comfortable choice will be felt by you during this thought process.

In short, aim to live a life that aligns with your values, dreams and happiness. Above and beyond anything else, choose yourself. If the rest is meant to be there, it will be.