The Power of Choice to Change Your Life
One power many of us have that we often don’t recognize enough is our choice.
We can choose our thoughts, feelings, and actions to help make our life the way we desire. That’s why choices matter.
There are places in the world where people unfortunately don’t have as much of those privileges.
They might live under authoritarian governments which prevent them from many freedoms that others can be grateful for.
In other cases, some are in dire financial circumstances that limit the amount of choices they can make.
Though even in these difficult circumstances, choices are possible to make life just a little bit better, which can sometimes make a huge difference.
William Jennings Bryan once said, “Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it Is a thing to be achieved.”
And Dr. Wayne Dyer said, “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”
Here are some important choices that you should make sure you choose wisely.
1. Your thoughts
Our thoughts are typically the foundation of how we feel and how we act.
If you consistently think negatively, you’ll consistently feel negatively, and you won’t do much to improve your life.
If you consistently think positively, you’ll be more likely to feel positively, and you’ll take more action to create the life you desire.
The kind of thoughts you choose can be ones that put bad moments and challenges you face in perspective.
You can choose to think of ways to see how your negative moments in life are an opportunity to grow and become a better person.
You can also choose to look on the bright side and believe that the best things can happen.
One of the most important types of thoughts you can choose are ones that encourage you, such as “you are enough.”
Thinking you are enough to have good things in life will help give you the confidence you need to get what you want.
Related: The Power of Your Thoughts – You Are What You Think
2. Your diet
While sometimes our finances may limit our diet choices, we can still make the most of what we have available to us.
Choosing good foods such as vegetables and fruits can help energize you and make it easier for you to be happier.
There’s loads of science related to how certain foods can make us either feel good or feel down.
Learn about foods that improve mood and foods that don’t, and choose wisely.
3. Your relationships
The people you surround yourself with can make a huge difference in how happy you are.
It’s better to be alone and content than surrounded by people that constantly bring you down.
But fortunately, it’s possible to find at least one person that can support and encourage us through the trials we face in life.
When choosing your relationships, think of what matters most to you in a companion, and see how the people around you stack up.
If some of them fall below your expectations, you may need to re-evaluate their place in your life.
Related: How to Let Go of Someone You Love and Move On
4. Your sleep schedule
Perhaps most of you reading this know how much sleep is important to your well-being.
But still, sometimes there are struggles with going to sleep early and staying asleep.
You can give these sleep tips ia try if you’ve been struggling lately.
Having a solid level of energy to start your day is important to get a lot of things done.
Getting enough sleep is also important for your mood and your overall wellness.
Try your best to follow a regular sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same time.
5. Your career
Our careers tend to take up a third of our days. That could be as much as a third of our adult lives.
With so much time you’ll be spending with the work you do, it’s a good idea to choose work you actually enjoy doing.
Of course, when you’re just starting your career path, you might not be able to get exactly the job you want.
But find ways to make sure what you’re doing now is preparing you for the career you hope to have someday.
If you’re a highly sensitive person and unsure of what work you want to do, here are the 30 best jobs for highly sensitive people and empaths.
6. Your purchases
It’s always important to save and manage your finances, but particularly when times are difficult, it becomes even more so.
You can choose to take time to learn about budgeting to make better decisions about when and where you spend.
When you’re able to save more, you open yourself up to potentially owning a home, buying a new car, and a number of other possibilities.
Related: 12 Minimalist Budget Tips for Better Spending Habits
7. Your path
As we live our lives, we’re all going on a variety of different paths. The path you choose should be based on what matters to you.
The direction you go should be in line with the core values you have for yourself.
You shouldn’t go in a specific direction just because you think it’ll make you rich or because it’s really easy.
The path you choose should be one that you know deep inside reflects your purpose.
Doing that gives you a good chance of finding fulfillment in life.
Related: 17 Steps to Finding Direction in Life
Final thoughts on good choices
It’s not always easy to know the best choices you should make. You might have to think long and hard before deciding on something.
One important thing you should consider are the results of your choices.
Choices usually result in some kind of event happening. It could be an event that makes you more happy, or one that makes you less happy.
Of course, happiness can’t always be the deciding factor, because in some cases, it’s a necessary good to do something even though we don’t necessarily enjoy it.
An example of that is studying for a test that you need to do well on. When making a choice, always consider the results carefully before choosing.
The choice you make should be one that ultimately results in good things for you in the long run.
While you can’t control all of your choices, you’ll always have control over some of them.
Do your best to make sure that with the decisions you can control, you choose to make the best decisions possible for your life.
