Choices

What choices have you made in your life that you have been really happy with? What would be your top three?

Are they to do with relationships? Health? Exercise? Money? Pets? Family? Friends? Travel? Jobs?

As you know, we all make choices every day. When to get up, what to have for breakfast, what to wear, where to park, what radio station, podcast, or playlist to listen to. What about the small choices you may have made to say good morning, or not? To greet someone with a warm smile or not. To hold a door open for another and let them go ahead of you, or not. Maybe it was the choice to ask someone how they were going and then to actually wait for their response. Maybe it was to respond gently to a harsh comment, or not.

If you reflect on your day and the choices you made, you may discover that seemingly insignificant choices add up and influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Ken Levine states that, "We all make choices, but in the end, our choices make us."

Have you made choices that you regret? I think we all have. Why do you regret them? Is it because they did not align with your values? Maybe it was because they were unwise or had a negative outcome. I like reading and learning from the book of James in the New Testament. It notes that wisdom from God results in a fruitful life that thrives even in the face of trials. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." Wisdom when making both big and small choices sounds like a good idea to me.

Do your values guide your choices? If they do, what do you value? What matters to you most? Is it being someone who is wise, trustworthy, shows kindness, respect, displays self-control, promotes peace and has patience? I like the quote by Judith M. Knowlton that states, "I discovered I always have choices, and sometimes it’s only a choice of attitude." The attitude that I bring is a choice that I can make, no matter the situation. I know that this can be very difficult and hard work, but a muscle only grows stronger when put under load.

To finish with, I will leave you with a quote about choices by Nelson Mandela that I have found to be a good reminder when making tough choices: "May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears."

May you enjoy the myriad of choices that you get to make every day.