10 Steps to Fully Experience Choice
Don’t Limit Yourself – Experience Choice
by Jennifer Hollie Bowles
We may be limited by any number of factors at any given time, yet we are constantly experiencing choice. It’s much easier, however, to think of choice as something that occurs when a very important decision is at hand, when the decision represents one extreme or another. This “yes-or-no-black-and-white-this-or-that” way of viewing choice has a deceptive way of making little choices seem inconsequential, and if we live this way long enough, we wind-up believing that particular choices in our lives were isolated events that ultimately “caused” our current circumstances. How we experience choice is intimately related to how we perceive ourselves, others, and reality.
10 Steps to Fully Experience Choice
#1 – Remember Good Choices: In the same way that we might normally think about the consequences of a bad choice, consider the positives that have come from the energy of a good choice. Then, repeat! This process highlights our ability to make good decisions and transforms how we view the present.
#2 – Embrace Self: This self is comprised of both good and bad choices and experiences. Without self-acceptance, choices may come to mean less and less because they are viewed as lose-lose battles where nothing has the potential to change. By embracing self, we learn to accept the powerful choice of moving forward.
#3 – Uncover Identity: Personal identity is constantly evolving, yet it is variable and sometimes vulnerable. Identity may become hidden by what we perceive as “image” when we allow others, media, and culture to inform how (and what) we identify with the world. Finding security in the essence of identity-rather than the projection of image-is a key step toward fully experiencing choice.
#4 – Limit Distractions & Procrastinations: From apps to ads and all of the media in-between, distractions are everywhere, tempting us to neglect what matters most. Similarly, while sometimes procrastination comes from the dislike of particular activities, it can also become a default excuse for inaction. Get out of these habitual comfort zones and make daily choices to limit distractions and the unhealthy “do it tomorrow” mentality!
#5 – Do Not Allow Others to Offend: What does it mean to be comfortable with our own beliefs? Should we really care if an acquaintance has different views? If we allow ourselves to enter the state of being “offended,” we often make rash decisions. When this happens, it’s important to take the time to understand why we really feel disturbed.
#6 – Create Meaning: What does the color yellow, the concept of love, the beach, a hamburger, a handshake, a mustache-mean to you? Meanings and associations often evoke particular feelings, thoughts, and choices. In order to experience choice more fully, we are tasked with becoming aware of when we operate on habit and emotional reaction to these associations so that we can positively alter them.
#7 – Understand Intentions: What choices do we think we have available? If we intend to eat healthier, that intention creates a set of choices, but if we intend to live healthy, that intention creates a broader set of choices that goes beyond eating habits. In other words, good intentions flow between focus and vision based on the choices we believe are available.
#8 – Accept the Dynamics of Choice: We are a collection of choices, and every choice we make will add to this collection. Choice is never isolated in a science lab without stimuli, just as we are never in white rooms without interactions, circumstances, or sensations. One little choice becomes powerful when we recognize its interconnectedness to other choices, while one big choice becomes less powerful when we view it in this same light of interconnectedness.
#9 – Nix Unhealthy Hang-Ups: On our journey of healthy lifestyle choices, we may become critical of every choice make that isn’t healthy. We may think we can’t do one thing because we haven’t yet done another. This critical stance puts negative energy into what should otherwise be the positive experience of becoming healthier. It’s important to keep in mind that healthy living is a constant culmination of being.
#10 – Experience Choice Now: The choices of the past have already been made, and barring Quantum travel, we can’t go back and choose differently. At the core of all experience, the “what if” question is moot, and to engage in that sort of thinking is a choice to keep experiencing the past. Every moment embodies a responsibility and an opportunity to make and create a new choice.
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About the Author
Jennifer Hollie Bowles is a widely published multi-genre writer. She offers unique workshops and services at Holistic Nook. Join her on December 6, 2014 at San Diego Writers, Ink for a Holistic Writing Workshop adventure!
