the power to choose

The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. --J. Martin Kohe

our choices determine our destiny. choosing a job, a home, friends and life partner creates the picture our life will take.

choosing our reaction to things is even more important. our reactions color our days. if i oversleep and miss a meeting, should i grumble all day over my mistake or should i find out what i missed and get on with the day? if someone is rude to me, should i be rude back or be quick and polite and finish what needs to be done? if i'm sick, should i be miserable or admit it's a bad situation and find ways to rest and get healthy? if i'm unemployed for a long time, should i feel sorry for myself or find something i can accomplish so my time is not wasted? of course, i would choose the latter in every case. is it always an easy choice? rarely. it takes effort to stay positive when things go wrong. yet, that extra effort will determine if we have a good or bad experience.

then there are times when choices are hard. should i eat the ice cream calling me or step on the scale to remind myself why the ice cream is a bad choice? should i stay up late to watch a movie or get to sleep so i'm ready to work tomorrow? should i get drunk at happy hour or limit myself to 3 drinks and keep my wits about me? the answer may be obvious, but it's not always easy to make the best choice.

for me, the most important choice that colors my world is with which people do i choose to spend my time? at work i keep interactions short with the people i don't like. when i meet someone new, i decide to continue the acquaintance only if the person is positive. i choose to keep negative people out of my life. it's hard enough to stay positive every day without having someone discourage you. i surround myself with people who encourage my positive outlook.

i can't control everything in life, but i can control my choices to make my life the best it can be.