Perhaps the biggest revelation of all of this analysis is the concept of choice. My entire adult life, and much of my adolescent life, consisted of stuff I “had to do.” I was mired into a path in which I had very little control over my life. The result of this view was one of increased stress, feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, and at times abject dread.
In reality, I always had a choice. In fact, I am the result of choices I’ve made in my past, and my path forward will be a result of the choices I make in the future. The challenge is in seeing that EVERYTHING is a choice. What a difference it makes to consider that “I choose to work on my personal relationships” instead of “I have to work on my personal relationships,” or “I choose to wake up early and work out” instead of “I have to wake up early…”
I recognize that this is somewhat a game of semantics, but if you consider the mindset shift required to get there, the result is so empowering. It has meant so very much to me to have my eyes opened in this way, and I’m a calmer, happier, and more optimistic person because of it.
I know I can’t control what life throws at me – that’s life, right? But I always can control what I choose to do with it. And that, to me, is a real gift.
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