10 Choices you think you don’t have, but yes you do
To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.
- Anais Nin, American Author
This post is inspired from a hike I took over the weekend with a wellness test group I put together (thanks, ladies!!). We were talking about what stops each of us from exercising, managing stress, living healthy, judgments and more. That’s when I brought up the idea of choices. We all have them and to some, the choices you have and that are listed below may sound radical. I talk about choices in my stress management training seminars and I always see surprised eyes that say something like “Huh, I have choices?” Sometimes it’s those radical choices that become the best way to grow, fulfill dreams and truly be your best self.
Consider the following when making choices
- Think it through - Be respectful of yourself and of others and know your desired outcome. Collect enough data to make an informed decision. Quitting a job cold turkey, with no plan, is not advised.
- Feel the fear - Yes, sometimes making choices is scary! Feel it, that’s energy you can use to your advantage. As long as you’ve thought it through the fear probably isn’t real - you’re creating it.
- Take accountability - You made the choice. No one, not your kids, your spouse, your boss, forced you! You stayed late at work because you chose to.
- Take responsibility - The choice has been made, now act on it. You’ve got to do something to see rewards!
- Let go of judgments - If you learn the choice wasn’t right, avoid judgments. There is no right or wrong, good or bad, it simply is. Learn from it, and use that knowledge to continue moving in a forward directions.
10 Choices You do Have
You are your choices. - Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD
- You can get a new job, even if it means taking a pay cut for a period of time.
- You can start your own business
- You can change your relationship (I’m not talking about parents/kids, but partners)
- You can find a new home/location to live
- You can have a conversation and respectfully say “no, for now”
- You can ask for help
- You can have a different opinion than the rest of the group
- And you can can speak that opinion (respectfully), even if it puts you in the minority
- You can find time in your day to exercise, you are choosing not to
- You can eat healthier. McDonald’s isn’t your only quick, low-cost option.
BONUS CHOICE: You can choose your attitude - you can be happy, or you can waste time complaining.
This list includes, in no specific order, what I hear from people the most. If you’re in a crappy job, you’re choosing to be there. If you’ve looked for something new to no avail, then choose your attitude and make the best out of the situation. You can keep trying!
There is great power in knowing we have choices. You can control them. They aren’t always easy, no doubt about it, but sometimes that’s when we see the most reward. Leaving my lucrative corporate job was difficult. Two years later I have NO regrets.
What choices have you made in which you saw great benefit or that didn’t work out the first time? Is fear getting in the way of your choices? Got anything else to add to this list? Share your ideas below.
When I came home on Sunday afternoon after spending the day helping a friend clean and rearrange their house, I was tired and could see myself just sitting down and doing nothing for the rest of the evening. But, something in me said “why don’t you just go to World’s End?”. So I did, I came home, put on my sneakers and went. I was dehydrated (poor planning) and hungry and only walked for 45 minutes but I felt so much better than if I hadn’t gone. I was glad I made the choice to go.
Good choice! It’s so easy to take the stay at home route. And it’s nice to hear it made you feel better!