Choose your own adventure.

Yesterday, I ran around the seawall, beaming from ear to ear. The dopamine from the sunrise, the feeling of movement, the resonant beauty of being right there in that moment, and the recognition that many wouldn’t have this opportunity made me feel so lucky to be alive. This sense of presence, of rooting into the power of choosing how I was showing up, was profound. At that moment, I remembered a childhood obsession of mine: the Choose Your Own Adventure books.

If you’ve never read one, the concept is simple and compelling. At various twists in the plot, the reader gets to decide what the main character does next, choosing which page to turn to. Do they risk climbing a treacherous cliff? Or hide out in a mysterious cave? The direction of the story is yours. There’s something so empowering about having the chance to decide, to be the one who says, I’ll go here,” and change the narrative. You can choose to face the unknown or opt for the safer route. It’s an experience of agency and adventure—one small decision at a time.

Life sometimes feels like we’re just watching, following an audiobook or script on a screen. As we go through the motions, days rush by, caught in the flow of obligations and routine. Other times, we write our plotline, deciding which way the story will turn. And yet, we’re all faced with moments when that feeling of choice feels so small, like life’s bigger forces are nudging us into a single, tight direction, pinning us down to a particular storyline we never chose.

And those heavy moments? They can almost make us want to set the book down, convinced the next chapter won’t get any better.

But here’s what running that seawall yesterday reminded me: sometimes all it takes is the next small choice to reclaim that story. Not necessarily the big, world-shifting decisions we think we should make—but the small, seemingly ordinary choices. They add up. Every choice to keep going, to show up with just a little more intention or self-compassion, to prioritize health, or joy, or even a moment of laughter—those choices shape us. It’s easy to overlook them, to think of them as insignificant or routine, but they are actually what’s moving us forward. Little by little, they are the difference between getting stuck in the chapter we’re in and pushing forward to a new one. These small choices are not just insignificant actions, they are the building blocks of our empowerment, giving us the control to shape our own stories.

Some days, these choices feel easy. They feel nearly impossible on others, especially when we’re under the weight of things we never asked for.

But even then, each small choice to breathe through a difficult moment, practice patience, be kind to ourselves, get up and move, even if it’s just for a few minutes—all of these choices shift the course of our story. We may feel like they’re tiny, but they’re the foundation of something bigger.

They build resilience, self-trust, and quiet confidence that turns into empowerment over time. This resilience makes us feel determined and strong, ready to face whatever challenges come our way.

So today, if you’re feeling heavy or if the story of your life feels stuck, remember: it’s okay to start small. Small choices have big ripples. Choose one little thing for yourself—however small it may seem—and trust that it’s nudging you toward growth, change, and a bigger life. Like a Choose Your Own Adventure story, we don’t always know where each choice will lead. But when we make those choices with intention and heart, we’re always moving toward a version of our life that’s more true and more fulfilling. It's this power of small choices that gives us hope and optimism, knowing that we can always steer our lives in a better direction.

Let’s keep turning the pages, one small choice at a time.