Ask any women born in the 1940s or 1950s about choice and you'll learn that women of that era (and, yes, I am one of them) didn't really think much about making choices. We just plodded along in the direction that felt right at the time. Some of us went to college, got married, had children, worked part time or full time or stayed home and threw ourselves into the role of caretaker and community participant. And, some of us even started our own businesses. Women born in the later 1960s and beyond have been given the dream of many more choices. But with those choices comes the burden of making key decisions on which choice to make.

The serious question becomes, with so many choices to pick from how do women decide?

Let's discuss some of the choices I'm talking about. First, women are the majority in colleges and universities and have as good an opportunity for gaining employment as the men they matriculate with. Women can choose a career in almost any industry. The days of choosing between nursing, teaching or secretarial assistance is long gone. And, graduate school is waiting with open arms for women who want to further their studies.

What I have learned from the young women I have mentored, deciding what to do is due to having so many choices. So what I tell them is to try something they think they might enjoy and not fear that decision needs to be forever. Having choices means you can also change your mind as often as you like. There is no time limit on deciding what you will do for the rest of your life. But, if you fear making a choice and never go through with it you will lose the opportunity of the experience.

Many of the women entrepreneurs I work with have had many careers before they chose to launch a business of their own. Often the business they start isn't in one of the industries they have worked in. But the journey has brought them exactly to what they know they want to do. Sometimes this journey takes a few years or decades.

I worked with one woman who started her career in banking, later ventured into recruitment and finally launched a real estate business. Her relationship building skills were the key to success as were her financial background.  Another woman I know started her career as a lawyer and found she didn't like the adversarial system of justice. She went on to become a mediator where the emphasis is on fairness and cooperation helping parties resolve conflicts positively. Ten years later she opened a clothing consignment shop where both her legal and mediation background were applicable to her immediate success as an entrepreneur.

These are just two examples of women who made choices along the way realizing that there was always an opportunity to change the course of their work and lives.

But, let's get back to how to make a decision on the wide variety of choices available. As a mentor, I recommend taking a sheet of paper, putting a line down the middle and titling one side things I like to do and the other side things I don't like to do.

For example, I would write I like talking to people, being able to move around as much as possible, leading others, selling anything, speaking, making decisions and solving puzzles or situations. I don't like to be cooped up in any space, told what to do, held back, be quiet, be behind the scenes, or be isolated for long periods of time.

Next, create another list with what you are good at and what you at not good at. No matter how old you are you are good at something so take a positive attitude about yourself and write down all those things that make you unique. For me, I am good at getting people's attention, at selling, at building relationships, at speaking, at thinking outside the box, at coming up with solutions for problems, at numbers, at details and the big picture. I am not good at sitting still (except for movies), being in a cubicle, following directions, keeping my mouth shut (I have a lot of opinions), being a second banana or third, fourth, fifth etc.

Finally, take your lists and match the what you want to do and the what you are good at and see what matches you can make with work opportunities. For me, it is clear selling, communicating, leading, and entrepreneurship is a match. It is no surprise that my first job at Mister Donuts was one of my favorites and my least favorite was working at an accounting firm. And finally, I found my dream job when I started my own newspaper.

Having choices is a gift so use it wisely and learn from every experience knowing that you can always choose another path. Success is yours if you don't fear risking the decision to choose.