This morning someone said to me “I really don’t have a choice” and it made me realize that Choice is actually the only thing we DO have.
Because of constructs like social and cultural programming, past experiences and our beliefs about them, and how new experiences get filtered through those beliefs, etc most of us live our whole lives believing we “don’t have a choice,” that things have to be a certain way because that’s how they’ve always been. “I can’t ____ because of what people would think,” “I don’t have enough time to ____” et cetera, fill in your excuse.
We don’t own Time, we don’t own other peoples’ feelings, reactions or schedules, we don’t own the weather… the only thing we can really OWN are the choices we make in every moment.
How we feel about those choices is another matter, of course. But the fact is we can choose in every moment, and knowing that opens up a world of possibilities. Take stock of your thoughts for a week. What do you often find yourself saying you “can’t” do? Ask yourself, “What would happen if I chose something different this time?” You don’t even need to know the answer, just be open to the possibilities that come with another choice.