Creating the Future in the Present is the Power of Choice
Like many of you, my family is in the midst of graduation celebration – for my niece, Nicole. Such milestones are a time of reflection: of those cherub cheeks we loved to pinch; the loving ways that stole our hearts; the strength and beauty of the young woman she has become – a black belt in Karate, really? How did that happen? She had the Power of Choice.
My niece is graduating high school as a second degree black belt in the same way all of our lives are shaped: one choice at a time. Choices made day by day, week after week, month after month, year after year, that accumulated into the person she is today. The choices were not always easy; they never are. Sacrifices were made, both by her and her mother, as choices often require.
It is important to recognize that our current experience is created by each choice we make along the way. None of us just “end up” where we are. Whether the choices are intentional or made by passive default; they are choices nonetheless.
When we do not recognize and own our choices, it is easy to feel like a victim of circumstance. But the truth is that even when I cannot change my external circumstance, I have a choice about my experience within it.
There is personal power in identifying my choices and choosing consciously. It is the path to personal responsibility for my life; an ownership of my part in creating the life I want to have.
One of my business coaches often asks the question, “If you don’t do anything different, where will you be in 5 years?” It is a good reminder that the decisions I make today, and every day, will impact what my future will look like. So it is for all of us.
For the graduates who embark on a new chapter of living, for those who feel trapped or stuck in a rut, and for all of us who aspire to live a life of personal responsibility, we are challenged to:
PAY ATTENTION
RECOGNIZE YOUR CHOICES IN EVERY SITUATION
CHOOSE CONSCIOUSLY
REDIRECT AS NEEDED
EMBRACE THE POWER OF WHAT YOU CAN DO
Take a moment and ask yourself the same question, “If I don’t do anything different, where will I be in 5 years?” If you are happy with your current path you might be satisfied with the answer. If you are not, know that you have the ability to change the course of your future. Each new day is an opportunity to make different choices than the day before.
Your future begins in the present….the choice is yours.