Choose to choose

Do you face choices fairly often? Perhaps every week? What about every day? 

Whether we realize it or not, life is a constant parade of choices: what to wear to work, which route to take, where to go for lunch, whether or not to make time for the gym despite being knackered. If we think about it too much, it all can seem exhausting, if not overwhelming; but the ability to make choices gives us dominion over our day-to-day experience which in turn contributes to our quality of life.

Perhaps even more advantageous is the fact that this gift of choice is not limited to how we spend our time, but how we invest our thinking. We can choose how to handle the thoughts that come to us. Do we blindly take in gossip, rumors and shocking sensationalistic news reports as fact? Do we judge and label others based on our own experiences, moods and biases? Do we project our assumptions and make summary judgments of others?

Perhaps Descartes' superquote, "I think; therefore I am," has as much to do with how our thoughts determine our existence as the fact that we exist in the first place. There is a direct correlation between the quality of our thoughts and the quality of our experience. I find that when I make a conscious decision to see the good in any given situation or the people involved, I then experience an expanded sense of good in my daily affairs.

We do indeed reap what we sow, both proverbially and actually. When we choose to be distrustful, cynical or ungrateful, we invariably find ourselves knee-deep in situations where those negative traits fester and breed. If we choose forgiveness and give others the benefit of the doubt, we'll see the same courtesies extended to us.

Regardless of how we choose to tackle our thoughts, words and deeds, the fact remains, the choice will always be ours. Better yet, we're always free to choose a better option. Each moment gives us fresh opportunities to do so.

What will you choose?