How to Live Life by Choice
How can you live life by choice and develop your own sense of self?
Do you say or think things like this:
- I hate getting up in the cold or dark!
- I can’t stand (fill in the blank)
- I hate my neighbor!
- I hate my job!
If we live too much in the outside world and have not developed a sense of self, our circumstances will dictate our moods and how we experience each day. We will live only in a reactionary state, where we react to our circumstances without really thinking rationally first. Our experience of life will be negative.
Our sense of self determines our life experience…
However, if we have developed a sense of self, the outside world will influence us less. If we have a strong sense of who we are and what we are doing in the world, we will dictate our moods and how we experience life. We will live proactively and decide how we want to experience each day.
For example, I live in Anacortes, Washington, which is north of Seattle. Many Californians who move here complain about the winters because the days are short and sometimes lack sunshine (some people would consider this an understatement). But people who grew up here don’t let the gray skies get them down: they put on their raincoats and go about their normal business.
We have to choose our behaviors each day and not simply react to the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Choose each day…
I find this method to be helpful. Before I go to bed at night I make a written list of five to ten goals I would like to accomplish the following day. When I get up each morning, I have specific things that I want to do. I try not to let the outside world affect my plan. I dedicate my first hour or two each day to physical exercise and my daily Bible devotions. This is a great start to the day!
Depending on what I have planned for the rest of the day, I either get ready to go or I continue reading, turning to other motivational material.
I try to start every day like this. It doesn’t matter what is going on around me during this period because I’m living in my inner world. It is a time to connect with inner peace and contentment.
Many people say that they never could do that. That’s a choice, and the way we experience life is a result of the the choices we make. I choose to start my day like this because it engages my body and gets it ready for the day’s activity. It also engages my mind because I exercise it when it’s most alert. Finally, it engages my Spirit and raises my experience of life to a higher level. I challenge you to try this routine for a month and see how your life changes for the better.
Like many people, I love the long sunny days of summer. But I try not to allow the sun or rain or light or dark to determine how I experience my life. If we in the Northwest allowed rain to prevent us from doing things, we wouldn’t get much done!
In my next article I’ll discuss how to live life on purpose.
This is an excerpt from my book Attitude Determines Destiny. In it you will learn how to get the most out of life by changing your attitude and making personal changes…changes that can lead you down a life-long path of personal growth.
As a motivational speaker, I conduct seminars and workshops based upon the ideas in my book. I will entertain and inspire your audiences, and I can customize my topics to fit your needs and desires.
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