Every choice we make has a consequence. Some will be good, some bad and other indifferent. Sometimes your choices will all be awful, but you still have a choice. Not making a choice is making a choice. C. Wright Mills said, "Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them — and then, the opportunity to choose. Wayne Dyer says, "Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice."
How often do you say, “I didn’t have a choice” or “I don’thave a choice?” If you start to pay attention to the words you say I would bet it’s more often than you think. What would you say if I told you that no matter what, you ALWAYS have a choice?
I think it is incredibly empowering to look inside yourself and say, this was my choice.Then you can accept your situation and make better choices to improve it.
Robert F. Bennett the US Senator for the Utah said, “Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life.You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.”
As long as you think you don’t have a choice you will be taking or maintaining a victim position.If you don’t have a choice, then you can’t do anything about your situation and that includes improve it.
Let’s use and extreme example of a situation where one might say they had no choice. Let’s say you’re walking down the street, when someone grabs you and holds a gun to your head. They say give me your wallet.You hand over wallet and the thief runs off. Did you have a choice when you handed over your wallet?The answer is yes, you did have a choice.I’m not saying you had a bunch of good choices, but you still did have at least two.One was hand over your wallet.The other was not hand over your wallet.Now of course you are probably thinking yes but if I would have not handed over my wallet, I could have been shot or killed.And, you know what, you’re right.However, you still had a choice.You chose to hand over your wallet and live versus keeping your wallet and possibly being shot or killed.Give wallet live. Don’t give wallet, die. There were at least two choices.Terrible choices, but choices nonetheless.
Why would we want to hold onto our belief that there is no choice?Is it so that we can be the victim, so that it is not our fault that we are in the situation we are in?Is it so that we have someone else to blame?
We can’t change other people, but we can certainly change ourselves.That’s a beautiful thing because when we accept that we do have a choice, we can change our own actions and become the person that we want to be.Noone holds a gun to your head and says this is what you must believe. This is how you must act.Even if someone was holding a gun to your head you still have a choice.
The best thing about taking responsibility for your own situation and who and what and where you are in life is that when you do, you can change it.And that is powerful.
by Self Help Expert Sharmen Lane Almost everything we do in life is a choice.To get out of bed in the morning is a choice. To go to work and do your job and pay your rent and take chances and risks, are all choices.To eat unhealthy foods knowing you will gain weight and increase fat and cholesterol and your risk for heart disease are all choices.To get married, or stay in an unhappy marriage or have children, again all these things are our choices. Every choice has a consequence.Sometimes the consequences are good, sometimes they’re not.Either way, there is always a choice and a consequence that goes along with it.In my own personal opinion it is quite empowering to realize and exercise your ability to choose. That’s a whole lot better than leaving your life or your successes to chance.I would rather ensure my success by making better choices than leaving my life, my opportunities and my success up to a roll of the dice.How often do you hear someone say, “I didn’t have a choice”?As awful as the options may be, there is always a choice.If you choose to go out with friends or colleagues when you know you should be preparing for a test or a presentation that is your choice.If you don’t pass the test, or you don’t do as well as you know you were capable of on the presentation you will know you really have no one to blame but yourself.That’s called taking responsibility for our actions. Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something.Where are your choices leading your life?When you are facing a challenge or an opportunity ask yourself, “Is this going to bring me closer to or farther away from what I want?”And then depending on your answer, you choose.
Sometimes you will have to choose between two crummy options.Even though both of the options are terrible, there is still a choice.Not choosing is choosing. If you want better things, you have to make better choices. If you want more money you have to make choices that will provide you with more money.If you want a better relationship, you have to make choices that encourage a better relationship.
Here’s a little tool to help you out.I’ve developed a little fast and simple process that will help you to evaluate any situation and make better choices.With better choices we make better more enriched lives for ourselves.Ask yourself, "if I do X what will be the consequences, both good and bad?"It’s almost the same as doing a pros and cons list.Most people don’t stop and think.They just do.If you can create a new habit of stopping whatever you are doing and simple ask, what are the consequences if I make this choice?You will make better decisions and create a better life for yourself. Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.Wayne Dyer
