For the purpose of this story, let’s say the labels on the button on an elevator stands for life-defining decisions you have to make. Decisions like: what school you should attend or if you should say yes to that marriage proposal or if you should accept that job offer.

Now imagine that by making a choice, you press a button on your elevator. That elevator could either be a ride up or ride down.  But even while you’re riding up or down, you could change the direction or make it all stop by pressing another button in the elevator. 

I like to think that life is like an elevator shaft. We can decide which elevators we get on and what direction it should go. Life could go badly or it could go really great.

But can you imagine pressing an elevator only for it to open to an empty shaft just like in this clip from Season 5 of Mad Men.

Imagine if Don Draper, the character featured in the clip, actually took a step into the shaft before looking up ? That would be his demise, wouldn’t it? Many real life humans have actually died this way. 

Before you take a life-defining decision, look up - that elevator shaft might be empty.