“We are both burdened and blessed by the great responsibility of free will- the power of choice. Our future is determined, in large part, by the choices we make now. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can and do choose our response to whatever arises. Reclaiming the power of choice, we find the courage to live fully in the world.” Dan Millman “The Laws of Spirit”
The concept of choice is interesting as I don’t believe that we really pay much attention to it as humans. It is almost a frightening concept and most of the time we try to run like bats out of hell in the opposite direction of it. However, the consequences of running away from it will always come back to bite us in the tushy. :)
Choice, in my opinion, is a fundamental building block to the story of our lives. Every minute of how our life unfolds is based on a choice that we have made. Right down to the basics of what we eat, each decision either enhances or stagnates us on this path called life that we are on.
This year has been an interesting one for me. Not that any of my years are not interesting… I have seen many friends make some very important life changing decisions this year, thus setting them on paths that they had not previously fathomed. And consequently making them happier than they have ever been before.
So how does this sudden turn in paths affect us on a grander scale? Does it change our destiny? This is a question that I think many people ponder on some level or another, and also a question I often get asked. So what is my take? My personal opinion is that we are each born with a specific overall purpose. However, how we decide to achieve this purpose is up to us. Can this purpose change? Absolutely, why not? I also think that if someone grows and evolves while here on this planet then why would not their purpose grow with them? So in the end I believe we are all the creators of our own destiny, and each decision we make shapes that destiny.
One of my own important decisions had a very important effect on the shaping of my future. I distinctly remember one evening, back in Ottawa, sitting by the river, beginning to doubt my decision in moving out of country to Argentina. It was a heavy decision to make. I had come to a cross roads in my life and before me were a number of different paths. I was fairly certain that in the end each path would lead me to where I needed to go, but how I got there was the decision facing me now. I could just as easily have decided to stay where I was and continued to grow in different ways and through different experiences. I could also have moved to another city within North America. Or just move plain across the globe and experience a whole new world. Either way I was going to learn and evolve, the question was which way did I want to do it? Obviously in the end I chose the latter, the hardest path of them all. Why was it the hardest? I was very well aware that in choosing Argentina I was deciding to leave behind a lifestyle, friends, family, a job, and part of myself. I was leaving the whole life that I had worked so hard to create to start anew, in a foreign country, where I knew no one, and had no concept of what I would even do when I got there.
And the consequences of this? I had completely and consciously reshaped my whole future. I had chosen a completely new path, thus closing off all the other potential paths that could have stemmed from me staying. That isn’t to say that I didn’t have the option of going back if I wanted to. But the thing is, even if I did go back, I would not be the same woman as the one who was leaving now. Therefore, that would also change the availability of those other paths at that future point in time. So to me it was pretty much a done deal, there was no going back to the same life and picking up from where I left it. It no longer existed. I had made the decision that would propel me down a new life, new people and new experiences. And I have never looked back.
I use this example because I believe it highlights choice well, maybe in the extreme, but highlights its importance nevertheless. But it isn’t just the major life decisions that change our paths, but also the daily choices we make each day. Something as simple as our choice in who we associate with, or what we decide to do with our free time are choices that have a huge influence on the type of person we become, and what we end up attracting into our life. This then has a domino effect and can start to either gently guide you down other paths you hadn’t thought of before or provide you with an environment that allows you to blossom and grow. The opposite however can also take place. These things can also have the effect of stagnating us and closing off paths.
So how to choose what is right? I am of the philosophy that as long as you make a decision based on what is best for you at that particular moment in time, and it resonates with your gut, then you are on the right track. That is how I personally live my life. What is it that my intuition is telling me? And most importantly, what is it that will make me happy? And then all the pieces in the puzzle seem to fall into place. The life that we thought was so unattainable suddenly is not that far off after all.
I think we often get into the habit of putting the responsibility of our happiness and what happens to us on others. However it really all lies with each one of us. Our choices in attitude, environment, people, jobs, career, past times, you name it. They all affect our path in life and the person that we become. And once we realize that, we are liberated from a perceived dependency on others and are the captains of our own ship once again. We are capable of creating any life we want, we just need to start making the decision to make that life happen.
Like the Fool in the tarot deck, who made the decision to begin his journey and then walked off the precipice, having full faith he would fly. And trust me, you will fly…
