THE POWER OF CHOICE
When we were very young,
we were probably asked at some point, "What do you want to be when
you grow up?" A fireman, ballerina, baseball player or teacher
were often common responses at that age. Then as we progressed further
through school and put more thought into it, our interests became more
specific. We were then asked the same question in a more sophisticated
way such as, "What are you majoring in? What kind of degree are
you pursuing?" Eventually, people stopped asking. When meeting
someone new or a friend we haven't seen in a long time, we might hear,
"What are you doing now?" or "What do you do for a living?"
The point is, once we've secured a job or established our career, we
often stop reflecting on our lives.
As a result, people often spend more time
planning their vacations than they do planning their lives. We'll research
all the different travel options we're interested in, compare destinations,
prices, best time of year to travel, best deals offered and then finally
make a decision. Then we bide our time, just waiting for our trip to
be here. Well what if we put as much thought into our daily lives as
we put into our vacations? What if we made our lives more enjoyable,
rewarding and fulfilling on a daily basis?
Sometimes we're simply overwhelmed by
life, under too much daily pressure and we think it would take too much
effort to think about one more thing. Stress has taken its toll in these
cases and we must seek assistance to help us see life more clearly.
Sometimes it's simply our socialization which tells us we've followed
all the programs we're supposed to in order to be successful so we should
feel great, and yet society's expectations and our sense of fulfillment
may be two different ideas. This leaves us feeling confused, often settling
into a daily routine which our subconscious may eventually become comfortable
with, but our soul will not. For as we've reviewed in our previous Monthly
Inspirations, it is our soul who begins to question, "There's got
to be more to life than this." If we pursue this thought process,
our soul begins its spiritual journey and we eventually find the fulfillment
we are seeking.
Quite often though, our floundering in
life comes from our inability to make a decision. I have seen people
agonize over making a decision, fearful of making a mistake. This is
very common considering our subconscious is like a small child who's
been programmed to think it must do everything right and is afraid of
what might happen if it makes a mistake. In reality, our whole life
is a series of decision-making events, moving from one experience to
the next, with the opportunity to grow and learn from every experience,
whether positive or negative. But it is only when we get conscious that
the soul is able to view life from this perspective.
Realizing that our lives are simply a
matter of choice can be extremely empowering. The soul can envision
what would make life fulfilling from its spiritual perspective using
its discernment to determine, "How will this choice affect my spiritual
development," and the subconscious can picture all that would add
to its vision of a full life; good health, loving relationships, a nurturing
home environment, a rewarding career, etc. It is up to the soul to provide
the plan that will enable us to accomplish these goals. We must review
our options, one at a time, think each idea through and then make a
choice. Then we must follow through on our plan.
One valuable truth to remember that can
help ease the subconscious' anxiety about our life decisions is that
at any time during this process, we always have the ability to change
our minds and make a different choice; even after we've begun this new
change. This is the key to our power. Nothing is carved in stone or
decided for a lifetime. We can decide, at any time, that whatever we've
started is not what we thought it would be and make a different choice.
This does not mean we have made a mistake. It simply means in light
of our new thinking, perhaps by what we've learned from this experience
so far, we have come to a new conclusion and now choose a different
path. It's like completing a year of college and realizing you're actually
more interested in a different field of study. You can then make a new
decision and pursue a different career.
Obviously, we want to think our plans
through in the first place and not lead a disruptive life, but an overall
movement towards growth, including changes along the way is how we learn.
The problem is when we place too much importance on every little decision
we make and the subconscious becomes paralyzed. When we find our subconscious
in this state of anxiety, we must get conscious and like a good parent,
help the subconscious to relax and provide support and comfort. Even
a few slow, deep breaths can be a good start. Then we must utilize our
soul's intellect to review our options and make a decision. Once our
subconscious knows the next step, its anxiety will be diminished. But
remember, the subconscious resists any change at first, even if it will
make our life better, so we must use lots of repetition, encouragement,
patience and love to implement our new ideas on a step by step basis.
The power of choice is incredible. Not
only does it give you the ability to create a terrific life for yourself,
it also brings you to the realization that you have a choice in the
way you view all of life. The idea of the glass is half full or the
glass is half empty illustrates this point. The choice is yours. Don't
ever let anyone else's negative opinion or interpretation diminish your
joy of an experience. Two people can attend the same event and one walks
away feeling great while the other can only see all that was wrong with
the experience. Your life experience can be whatever you choose. In
the words of a five year old I know, "You could be having fun."
Choose to enjoy your life. Your subconscious will be grateful and you'll
find life has never been more rewarding. We just need to allow ourselves
to lighten up and stop making life so hard.
So use your power of choice to create
your best life. We've reviewed many topics over the past few months
to assist you in this goal. But to thoroughly integrate these concepts,
make time to join us for an Arche program. You'll find the interaction
and understanding gained to be well worth your time. Please check our
schedule for upcoming events.
Wishing you the freedom and fulfillment of a life empowered by choice!
SANDY DALIEGE