The sum total of our choices

Like it or lump it, this is one of those cold hard truths about life that we so often try to dodge, enragingly argue against or just plain don’t believe.

We don’t like it because it feels a little to raw and honest, we don’t like it because it means we have to own our own stuff, and even worse we don’t like it because it means we can no longer blame or mum or our dad or our 3rd grade primary teacher or the local neighbour for all of our life’s challenges. Even worse, our genetics are the age old argument that let us of the responsibility hook. Given the recent science in neuroplasticity we can no longer genetically explain away different elements of our behaviour.

Think of it this way, in any given day we all make hundreds of choices about our world before morning tea. Do we get up, what time, do we hit the alarm clock snooze button, how many times, do we fake a sick day at work, do we decide to show up, do we have a shower, do we have a coffee or not, what to eat for breakfast or if we decide to have it, how do we get to work, to run, bike, drive or bus?

Then once we decide to go to work, how do we feel about that, what attitude am I going to choose today. How well am I going to work with that project team that I am meeting with today?

The bit we often miss though is that every single one of those choices influences certain outcomes in our world. They influence how fit we are, whether we prioritise exercise, they influence the success that we have in our relationships, they influence how we go about our work and how successful we are. Most importantly in my view, the influence how we take care of ourselves and ensure that we have huge levels of respect for ourselves.

The next time you feel yourself thinking, it doesn’t matter whether I do my morning boot-camp, one day won’t matter, I want you to think about all those outcomes that you want to improve in your world. Simply ask yourself this question ‘is this decision going to lead me to what I want in the long term? Or even, how do I want to feel at the end of the day, proud of myself, or let down again?