The Power of Choice

All of us are involved in change. You’ve heard it said before “The only constant in life is change”, and “change is inevitable”. To realize that we are living in a constant state of flux can become empowering when we acknowledge this is a normal process in life. Realizing this helps us accept change as a process in which we are involved, so we can stop trying to control that which we cannot.

From the movie Forest Gump comes this quote, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” You may ask yourself, how can we make the unknown empowering? How do we really be involved in something that is inevitable? What influence of the outcome can we really have?

The key here is to understand that we always have a choice. Yes, a choice, no matter which piece of chocolate you get. Your choice, what I refer to as your “personal power” is not to stop change… but in how you deal with it.

Choosing how to deal with change, instead of trying to control that which we cannot, can be scary for someone facing challenges. On the other hand, it can be an adventure for those looking for growth. We can either choose to react or choose to deal with and even embrace change.

Let’s first consider what's it's like to see life as an adventure:

When we open up to the mysteries or possibilities available in life, change can become an empowered experience. You can consciously choose to tune into the excitement of the unknown, instead of trying to create a result that you think should happen.

We did this easily as a child unencumbered with wonderment. This is still possible when we choose to be in the present experience choosing to feel the excitement of what may be possible, instead of focusing on our negative worries that stem from fretting about the past and fearing the future..

Now consider the choices to face your challenges head on:

The power of choice is always present in the process of change. Even when faced with less then desirable circumstances each of us have the ability to choose how we will react or not react. This is not to say we won’t wish for something else to happen at times. Rather we shift our energy from trying to figure out why it happened to focusing on the influence we can have on the outcome through what we choose to give our power to.

There are many choices we can make when faced with change. What's essential is our willingness to accept change as a process that we are involved in, and not putting our energy on trying to stop it. Making the most out of living with change depends on your ability to make your life powerful through choosing how you will grow and expand your thoughts, feelings, actions, viewpoints, beliefs and positions.

Death and taxes are certain. See your accountant for taxes and keep in mind death is not only what happens to us at the end of our physical expression; it occurs anytime in our life we CHOOSE stagnation or we stop making our choices powerful.

By Rene’ Rioux , CEC
(Published: Health and Fitness Magazine 07/04)