CHAPTER 07

CHOICES

It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. — J K Rowling

Funny thing about choices. Make one and be prepared to move in a specific direction and that sets off a whole series of new choices. This often occurs even with the most basic functions.

Let’s say you looked in the mirror this morning and thought a haircut was in order. You made a choice for a better appearance. Then a choice when to call for an appointment, when to book the appointment, who would cut it, what type of haircut, and by what means you would travel there. At any time you could have made a choice to be late, to veer off onto another route, to cut it yourself. Where to park, how to pay, what to tip. Dozens of choices. And for every one of those choices, we also chose not to do something. For instance, instead of getting a trim, you could have used the time to start in on that epic novel you’ve been choosing not to write. The point is that we make hundreds of unconscious choices every day. It’s possible that any one of those choices, if reversed could have set off a chain reaction, spinning us into a new realm, providing unforeseen opportunity, pushing us next to our future life partner or drawing us to our true purpose.

Eckhart Tolle in his book “The Power of Now,” insists that choice implies consciousness. He says most of us function in autopilot to the extent that we aren’t making any real choice until the moment we finally “disidentify from the mind and its conditioned patterns,” and become more present and aware of our options.

Be more aware of your choices. Trust instincts, gut feelings, or signs that suddenly appear. Remember your true intentions first, choose from the heart and take action on the choices. That action will then support your intent, the intent will shade future choices and the result is an upward spiral.

A choice to watch the ball game on TV could also be a choice not to play catch with your kid. Our choices are the most sound when they lead us toward meaning and purpose. More than any other thing, choose to be successful. Success is a choice. It is a mindset. The image many of us have is success arriving like a tidal wave, washing away failure, embarrassment and toil and placing us firmly at the helm of a pristine kingdom. In fact success is mostly achieved in increments, through vision, planning, timing, dedication and persistence. You will know you are a success when it is clear you’ve done your best.

We are going to make a difficult choice. Virtually every one of us is wrestling with a big question mark in our lives. An issue that is unresolved, a person that presents a challenge, a choice we just haven’t had the courage to make. We are going to make that choice.

But first we want to apply common sense. We want to focus on the issue and desired outcomes. We will face the reality of the choice and not some conjured back story. We will set a time frame for the choice to be made. We will contemplate the choice at hand, write in our journal and veer not toward a decision, but an option that keeps all possibilities alive, a creative choice made for the right reasons.