The Significant Personal Power of Choice

The Significant & Personal Power of Choice

Ok, of course, most people wouldn't believe it!... But, before you draw any conclusions on that, let me change gears from fantasy to reality.

Everything in this world has an upside and a downside to it. But generally, when it comes to making choices or decisions, the topic is one that many of us would rather not deal with. Especially if the stakes are high or it's an emotionally important decision. Having to make choices can be daunting and can make us feel uncertain, to say the least.

We can easily make simple, everyday choices like what to eat for lunch, or which scarf or tie to wear. But we don't want to think about the difficult choices. Hard choices can easily become frustrating riddles we can't solve, and no one likes feeling frustrated. A difficult decision can also cause us conflict and when it gets complicated, we can be overwhelmed. We avoid having to make choices by setting things up in a certain way so that when the choice making comes around again, we don't have to make it. Or, we might avoid a situation and end up not making a choice at all. Not choosing, of course, ends up being your choice by default. And unfortunately, default choices often cause consequences, and a lot more trouble then we bargained for.

By Grace Karen Sweet

Wouldn't it be amazing to have Aladdin's Lamp?

Just rub it and the Genie appears and says,, "Your Wish is My Command!" And wha-la...you have whatever you want.

What if the Universe could be kinda like that for you? Would you take advantage

of it?
Or, would you even believe it?

The world we live in continually causes us to make choices. There is a choice to make at every milestone in our life, including journeys planned or unplanned, every road traveled, (metaphorical or actual), and involving every relationship, we're faced with choices to make.

Choice is part of us and it actually can be an opportunity.

Have you ever thought of it that way?

So, with that in mind, let's look at choice another way. Since we have been given the ability to choose, and we have continual choices to make (even if some of them are merely by rote), wouldn't it be much more comfortable, even easier... if we looked at choice in a fresh way? How about thinking of it as something that we can actually use to our benefit?... And how would it be if that could be true, more often than we think?

Seeing it that way is to understand it from a personal perspective, instead of an objective one. This way it becomes more obvious that there could be potential for experiencing our life in a betterway. For example, if we find ourselves involved in a chaotic situation, we almost always think we have zero control. Wouldn't it feel great to see that we actually do have control?

So, with that in mind, let's look at choice another way. Since we have been given the ability to choose, and we do have choices to make, how about thinking of it as something that we can actually use to our benefit?... And how would it be if that were true, more often than we think.

Unless fear, anxiety or confusion blocks our reasoning, we usually figure out what our choices are, in most situations. The biggest problem is that sometimes there is a contradiction. On one hand, one choice could unequivocally be the best and easiest thing to resolve the situation. But on the other hand, we don’t like and we definitely don’t want what comes with it. Or we see two choices and you don’t like either one. When we are faced with this kind of dilemma it’s the time to use choice to your benefit. Can you find a neutral place of trust, to help you move through it? If you can, you’re using it for your growth… for your best and highest good. Making a choice with wisdom, courage and clarity will always lead to the best outcome.

So, what's the best choice? Instead of getting run over by the chaos and confusion of the situation, we can choose to pay attention to something better. And that something better can be realized by accepting that choice is something you have been given for a reason. Combine that thought with understanding that it can be a great benefit to make a choice - when we think you have no choice. The key to avoiding a backfire is accepting the best choice you have and owning it. That gives you a feeling of control. So, can you imagine realizing you have control at any given time, simply by asking yourself the question, "what is my best choice in this situation?"

So, we don't need to be caught between two extremes. Agonizing over making impossible choices, doesn't have to beset us. In other words, you already have your own, built-in personal comfort zone when you use choice as a personal strength.

Read the Story of Buddha and his Deciple below

Understanding that choice can be a tool to use for our own benefit, we might begin to see that there could be benefits possible from using choice in many situations. It can help us to realize that we actually can be in control of our life by using it, and not letting unproductive choices use us!

You Can Achieve Control in Your Life by Realizing That You Can Use

Choice as a Tool!

This is a story about the personal power of choice. It's called Buddha's Bowl, as told by Prem Rawat.

One time Buddha was walking with one of his disciples. And everybody in town was criticizing Buddha, saying, you know, “You’re no good; you don’t do this; you don’t do that....”

And so his disciple said, “Buddha, doesn’t that bother you, all these people saying all these nasty things about you, criticizing you?”

So when Buddha got back... his disciple was sitting quiet & still — and so Buddha sat down near him. He took his bowl and he moved it toward his deciple. And he goes, “Whose bowl is this?” And the disciple said, “It’s your bowl.” He moved it a little closer to the disciple and said, “Well, now whose bowl is it?” His deciple goes, “It’s still your bowl.”

He kept doing that and asking him, “ Whose bowl is it; whose bowl is it?” And the disciple kept saying, “It’s your bowl; it’s your bowl.” And then finally he took the bowl and he put it in his disciple’s lap and said, “Now, whose bowl is it?” Ane his deciple still said, “It’s still your bowl.”

“Exactly right! " Buddha said. You don't accept the bowl, so it's still mine. And in the same way, if I don’t accept the criticism, it’s also is not mine!”

Buddha's Bowl