While there are only a handful of really BIG decisions for each of us to make in life, the countless tiny decisions we make on a day-t0-day basis are just as significant. Tiny decisions are like snowflakes, really good ones can float you along like a skier gliding through powder and bad ones can bury you in an avalanche that you triggered.
The life situation you find yourself in right now is largely the result of all the decisions you’ve made in the past.
It’s true that we have little control over many of the events that occur in our lives, and the temptation to say that our lives have been dealt to us is always present. But we can’t give into that temptation because it’s helpless, passive and self-defeating.
Powerful, resourceful people focus instead on what they are able to control. You can control your actions, your speech, and even your thoughts to a surprisingly great extent. The way you do that is by exercising choice.
This has enormous implications, which can’t all be discussed in a short blog post. So for now I’ll just address one, extremely practical example.
The most frequently occurring decision you are offered by life is how to respond to the circumstances that you are in at any given moment … like NOW, for instance.
It’s easy to entirely forget that this choice even exists. When that happens, your choice is one of omission; in other words, you react according to a pattern of past behavior, or habit. The disadvantage of this is that a past reaction, even one that served you well many times before, may be inappropriate for you now.
In contrast, by noticing and consciously exercising your ability to choose a response unconstrained by the past you maximize the opportunity to make the moment serve your best interests.
As a side note, this is all part of the broader subject of cause and effect. Every moment is both an effect of the moment preceding it and a cause of the moment that follows. In this way, your reaction or response to the events occurring around you is effected by those events and at the same time a cause of the outcome of your interaction with those events. But I digress …
Recognize that your behavior – what you do, say, and think – is an ongoing opportunity to make good choices. Ask yourself whether you’re consistently making the kinds of choices that are in your best interests. You might be surprised to find that the answer is often "no." But once you've identified this you can begin reversing the pattern by simply paying attention and responding better. Then you’ll see that choice is a magic wand that you can wave to create the life you desire out of thin air.
BODY – MIND – SPIRIT
The life situation you find yourself in right now is largely the result of all the decisions you’ve made in the past.
It’s true that we have little control over many of the events that occur in our lives, and the temptation to say that our lives have been dealt to us is always present. But we can’t give into that temptation because it’s helpless, passive and self-defeating.
Powerful, resourceful people focus instead on what they are able to control. You can control your actions, your speech, and even your thoughts to a surprisingly great extent. The way you do that is by exercising choice.
This has enormous implications, which can’t all be discussed in a short blog post. So for now I’ll just address one, extremely practical example.
The most frequently occurring decision you are offered by life is how to respond to the circumstances that you are in at any given moment … like NOW, for instance.
It’s easy to entirely forget that this choice even exists. When that happens, your choice is one of omission; in other words, you react according to a pattern of past behavior, or habit. The disadvantage of this is that a past reaction, even one that served you well many times before, may be inappropriate for you now.
In contrast, by noticing and consciously exercising your ability to choose a response unconstrained by the past you maximize the opportunity to make the moment serve your best interests.
As a side note, this is all part of the broader subject of cause and effect. Every moment is both an effect of the moment preceding it and a cause of the moment that follows. In this way, your reaction or response to the events occurring around you is effected by those events and at the same time a cause of the outcome of your interaction with those events. But I digress …
Recognize that your behavior – what you do, say, and think – is an ongoing opportunity to make good choices. Ask yourself whether you’re consistently making the kinds of choices that are in your best interests. You might be surprised to find that the answer is often "no." But once you've identified this you can begin reversing the pattern by simply paying attention and responding better. Then you’ll see that choice is a magic wand that you can wave to create the life you desire out of thin air.
BODY – MIND – SPIRIT
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