“Life is about choices. Some we regret, some were proud of. Some will haunt us forever. ‘Black Rain’ was very much about choices. The message – we are what we chose to be”- Graham Brown
Introduction
Life Is Full of Choices. Everything that happens to us in life is a result of choices we make. For instance, choosing to go to the gym or not, to have a date night with our significant other or not, to hit the snooze button or get up etc., So the next time you complain about gaining 10 kilos, remember that you made that choice. You chose to eat the foods you liked, and you chose not to go to the gym, or go for a walk after dinner.The choices you make today will impact your life tomorrow. You hate your present job, but you chose to accept it. The EMI payment each month you hate paying, but you chose to buy the house. So it’s tough to admit that we made a mistake, but mistakes are part of life.
As we all know, the beauty of life is that we can always choose to change things, such as looking for a new job or start eating healthier food or look into moving and selling your house. But many times, we choose not to change. Why? There are two main reasons. First, we act in ways we believe will make us feel better. Second, we put too much power into immediate pleasure. Life is full of choices and a learning experience. You grow by realizing your mistakes, figuring out where you went wrong, and making adjustments so you don’t make the same mistakes again.
Any Way Out?
No matter how much you analyze a situation and try to account for every possible outcome, you can never guarantee success. But you can increase the chances of success the more you plan ahead. Every person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the natural laws. Your choice determines the consequences and no one can escape the consequences of his choices. Why some people are always happy even when times are hard while others are filled with despair even when all is well? It is the individual, internal choice, not the external circumstances that ultimately determines how life is experienced.
The Story:
A proud lion decided to go for a hunt. While roaming stealthily he spotted a flock of goats. As he pounced to grab one, all the goats scattered leaving only the mother goat to get caught. But as the lion was about to eat her she began to laugh loudly. The lion was stunned. He asked the goat why are you laughing, when I am about to eat you?
The goat replied: I pray that all my children become sterile so that no more goats may be born to suffer the way I am going to suffer. I have hurt no one in my life. I spend my day only eating wild plants and grass and yet I am about to be skinned and eaten. I laugh when I think about your fate. What will happen to someone like you who grabs the throat of others and devours their flesh?
The lion understood what the goat was saying: when was the last time you killed someone? Killed someone’s spirit with your words, your actions with what you chose to do for them or not to do.The goats final message to the lion was that at the end of the day we are all on this earth for a short while but when we are both dead who’s actions will be remembered and respected? The deeds of arrogant or the actions of the kind.
Jon Dulin shares 6 tips to make the best decisions in life:
- What is important and valuable to you?
- Get as much information as possible.
- Don’t forget about your future.
- Consider alternatives and other options.
- Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of your options.
- Trust yourself. Finally, you need to make the choice and trust yourself.
Conclusion
Every day we make choices in how we interact with others. We make choices to see some people as friends and others as enemies. To some we show kindness, love, compassion and we go out of the way to make them happy but then there are others to whom we are rude and unkind.We show arrogance and pride because we think we are better than them. We all have choice at every moment to act like the proud lion to be vicious brutal and self-absorbed. Or we can be kind thoughtful and considerate like the humble goat.
Humility is not a characteristic that many people aspire to have. We are taught by society that to succeed in life is to put yourself first. We are taught to make the best of our skills and abilities, yet have we ever wondered where these abilities one from? If you are intelligent; if you are strong; if you are resourceful; if you are important; if you are powerful then how did you become that way?
Are you the really one who can be proud of these abilities or did the universe help you to become what you are today? Don’t be so proud of your strength and power that you forget to be kind to others. We are all made with our own unique strengths and abilities. It is only when we learn, to put people first that we find a sense of inner peace and lasting fulfilment. Every situation is a choice and it’s your choice how you live your life in a more responsible/proactive way or otherwise. The choice is ours.