What Are You Choosing?
"Whatever we're not changing, we're choosing." -JeVon McCormick
Namaste. And so it is. Choice.
I've been pondering choices lately. I am curious about how we make choices, why we make them, what influences them, etc. I am also interested in why we don't make choices. It's a fascinating terrain.
The recent choice I made was to adopt Rocky (pictured here). He came to me as an 11 month old german sheperd rescue via my sister, Christine who is an angel on Earth. She works with dogs, rescue, and truly brings about transformation in animals...and their owners!
Back to choice. I had no plan to get a dog. I have a great life. I am 47, happily married with 2 adult step-children and 2 cats who are easy, sweet, and don't require much. The choice to adopt Rocky was a powerful eye opener for me.
How so?
I made a choice I wasn't expecting, at all. More on that another time. I suspect some of you reading this get what I am saying!
In this writing I am more interested in sharing a concept: Choice is Life.
What do I mean?
Well, consider it. Aren't our choices, both the small ones and the big ones, what make up the fabric of our life?
Whether we did or didn't want something to happen, we are still in a position to choose. We may choose what to "do" next. We may choose what "not" to do next.
Or perhaps we may choose being over doing. Meaning, we choose to be peace, positive, possibility...and allow our being to inform our doing.
When we are rooted in being infinite peace and love, we are clear and confident in our choice, no matter what we choose. These are the choices that are life affirming and life altering. Choice is life.
If you have not yet seen the movie "The Choice" I suggest watching. It captures the power of our choices and how they impact our life so beautifully. A love story, no doubt...based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. The story plays out based on choices made as well as those not made...
During my yoga practice I was reminded again that not choosing is also a choice, and a very powerful one.
How does not choosing happen?
Not choosing happens in 2 ways.
The first way is by making a conscious decision not to choose. When we do this, we are "in control" of our choice. We have thought about pros, cons, intentions, desired results.
The second way is by being unaware of what we are not yet aware of. You don't know what you don't know so to speak. When this happens, we are being "controlled" by habitual patterns that choose for us. This creates unnecessary suffering.
The following quote says it best.
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. What happens when you lead the horse to water and he says, 'what water'?" Uh-oh!
I think of it as sleepwalking through life or allowing other peoples expectations to control us. When we allow others to control us, we are choosing them instead of us. We all do this until one day we wake up and realize it no longer works. We realize nobody is happy when we aren't taking care of ourselves first. We start making new choices.
Notice what thoughts and feelings are coming up for you as you read this.
Are you falling into judgment, shame, guilt, blame, anger, frustration, confusion, resistance?
Exhale and see it for what it is: learning. If you choose to see it as such.
Choice is life.
All experience is an opportunity to awaken so we may choose consciously. By choosing consciously we connect our intention for our life to our choice. Our intentions, thoughts, words, and deeds align. This doesn't mean it's all peachy and easy. What it does mean is that we are waking up to who we are, and why we are here.
My prayer for humanity is that we continue to expand our awareness and connect with our deeply rooted and sacred intentions. When we live life this way we are fulfilled and peace emerges. It starts with us and expands outward.
How do we do it?
There are several ways. It's starts with our CHOICE to take action NOW on what we can do in this moment and what we are willing to do in future moments.
Examples include: committing to daily mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation and doing them.
We can plug into wisdom teachings that support the awakening process. One of my favorite books for this is Eckhart Tolle's, "A New Earth". (I have a guide I created for this book - reach out if you want it here.)
We can also work with a mentor or trusted guide who lovingly holds up the mirror for us. We all need someone who can teach and support us.
We can commit to energy healing sessions that are designed to uproot the past patterns that keep us stuck.
As we expand our awareness to include all of our choices, may we have the courage to choose the options before us that are life affirming.
May we choose the options that help us become the best version of our self.
May we create a life filled with so much peace, love, joy, and gratitude that it overflows to all who cross our path and we can't help but to share all the beauty within us.
Choice is Life.
Our Choice is Our Life.
What are you choosing?
Are you choosing YOU?
Namaste,
Stephanie