The Power of Choice

The choices that we make in our life, indeed determine the kind of results that we experience and the quality of the life that we live.

-Sumeet JAIN
Do you know that you’re the chief architect of your own life? Every moment of your life you make decisions and by extension choices.

Your current life and its quality as you experience now is the culmination of the choices you have made so far. The choices you make give the results that you have. You cannot absolve yourself from what you are experiencing as your life.

The great Sumeet Jain said: “The choices that we make in our life, indeed determine the kind of results that we experience and the quality of the life that we live.” This profound statement speaks to the power of choice.

When we were children and our minds were malleable, our parents and significant others made decisions and choices for us. But at a certain point in our life, we have to make decisions and choices by ourselves.

The power of choice is yours. It’s in your hands. This is because no one by any stretch of the imagination could know what is in your mind or know what resonates with your heart.

The truth is that you can’t live someone else’s life and be happy and fulfilled. You are unique and not a carbon copy of another person.

The right to choose cannot be taken away from you. Oprah Winfrey, a motivational and success expert, emphasized when she remarked: “Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.”

God created us but it is our responsibility to create the life that brings happiness and fulfillment. You are the sum total of your thoughts, decisions and choices.

You are the chief architect of your own life as said earlier. By your choices you design your life.

You must take full responsibility for the results and the quality of your life. You created them whether by default or deliberate design. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross oce noted, “I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.” You cannot escape the consequences of the choices you make.

If you are not happy with the results in your life, you have two options. You must confront your fears and make better choices to improve or remain stuck in stagnation.

The choices you decide on can make or unmake you. If you consistently make wrong decisions and choices, you will end up living a miserable and mediocre life.

You must always remember that your choices shape what you become and the results you experience in your life. It’s important for you to make conscious choices. What this means is that you have to weigh the pros and cons of all available options before you settle on the one that can help you make progress.

You will not get all available data before you make a decision. Pay attention to the signals given by your intuition and follow your heart. Your heart and intuition guide you in wonderful ways.

Sometimes choices have to be based on an educated guess. This must come from your knowledge, experience, insight, and aha moments.

The choices we make should not be taken lightly. They may determine our destiny.

It is therefore not out of place to seek expert advice. It is not a weakness but a sign of strength to get advice from someone who has already achieved the kind of success you are seeking yourself.

Life has a way of testing us. Some problems are simple and they do not require rocket science to make a decision. However, some problems are quite complex and demand careful thought and thorough analysis before the right choice can be made. But you have to make a decision and a choice. If even you leave things as they are, it’s a choice.

In situations where you have no control over what happened, you still have two options- to look at things with the lens of positivity or negativity. Being positive speaks of possibilities.

When your mind is saturated with negative energy, you will never take action to change the situation. You will remain in a rut, in the rat race.

Our choices determine our actions. Our actions give us results.

Whatever choices you make, the mind and body work to create. Frederick Bailes once commented, “Man’s power of choice enables him to think like an angel or a devil, a king or slave. Whatever he chooses, mind will create and manifest.” It’s, therefore, important to make wise choices.

Our choices will finally manifest as our reality. Be guided by wise choices to walk on the path that will lead you to the life you have envisioned for yourself.

Success does not happen by accident. A great life is impossible without conscious choices.

Living a tremendous life can only be achieved with and by wise decisions and informed choices. Choices made thoughtlessly will bring misery, mediocrity and regrets.

Every day we make choices. It’s a lifetime process. It goes on until we take our last breath.

You can choose to be happy or sad, courageous or timid, active or passive, pessimist or optimist, achiever or non-achiever, it is in your hands. You can choose to design your own life or relinquish that power to someone else. When you allow another to make choices for you, you become a slave to that person. His goal will always come first and yours becomes secondary. Success guru, Jim Rohn said, “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you will fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

In life, you have to make choices that reflect your core values and beliefs. You must ultimately decide what you want out of life.

How you want to be remembered, what you want to do for your loved ones, and the legacy you want to bequeath to current and succeeding generations are solely for you to decide and no one can do that for you. What you want to be, have or do can only manifest with the choices you make.

To manifest the life we desire, our choices must be in sync and flow with our natural endowments, our God-given talents, abilities and capabilities. You can become the best version of yourself when you take inspired action as a result of informed choices.

When you make a choice, you put yourself on a particular path or direction. Without discipline it would be difficult to achieve your goal.

On the journey of success, you may encounter roadblocks, obstacles, bottlenecks and setbacks that can derail your efforts. You have two options, to give up or persist until you reach your desired destination.

Discipline requires your commitment to your vision. And when there is commitment, you strive and with a courageous attitude pursue the goal until its transmutation and translation into reality.

It’s wonderful if you make choices to improve the quality of your life. Our choices and actions must be given a deadline. When you procrastinate because of fear or doubts, your choices may fizzle out of memory. You can’t make progress without acting expeditiously on your choices.

Where change is needed, action must not delay. Or you miss an opportunity to effect a positive change for an improved life.

In conclusion, life’s but a series of choices we make in every moment of our existence. Every choice puts you on a particular path. It leads to results.

You’re a product of your choices. Your choices are the building blocks of your life.

By your choices you design your life. If your life is not unfolding the way you want, make better choices. The power of choice is in your hands. Use it wisely.

To your success,
Yours in inspiration,
Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU, Writer & Author

Author of A Handbook for Prison Officers