Heyyyy, long time, no chat. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I miss this space. But truth be told, I don’t really feel like sitting down and writing a Workout Wednesday themed post. But I analyzed my reluctance and I settled on one thing that I think needs to be talked about – the power of choice. I’m also doing laundry and chores and making dinner while writing this post, so here’s to hoping I don’t lose my train of thought. Also – idk where this fear of the internet has come from, but read the last subheading before thinking/saying anything mean. And consider the points I’m making before thinking/saying something mean, here and elsewhere, as well – because that is a choice you damn well do have.
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I meant to keep this more workout related but I got a little off track, still I think the points are important enough to remain a post. But I want to underscore that choice applies to the health/fitness arena as well. I also think this area is a great place to start really thinking about how much choice you have and the consequences of different decisions just because the effects are more immediate internally and do appear externally as well. Humans are visual, seeing choices impact your physical body will help your brain understand the significance.
THE POWER OF CHOICE
This applies beyond just working out and making healthful decisions, but I think that realm is probably the most clear cut in terms of thinking about the correlation between decisions and outcomes. How many times have we heard that consistency is key when it comes to success? Especially in the healthy living space. We also have a choice in how we get around, what we put into our bodies, though sometimes those choices are impacted by our environment, but we definitely have a choice in how we behave and react.
It’s true, sometimes our bodies and our lizard brains win and we make a choice we might not have made had we had full control of our faculties. But that really just opens up a new chain of decisions and, I’ve found, if you establish a history of trying to make good choices, there are very few bad choices that can’t be undone. This is the internet, so I feel the need to clarify – within reason. Drinking and driving can easily be impossible to come back from, but snapping at a loved one or yelling at your child are a different story. If you consistently make “bad” choices, it can be hard to forgive, but if you start establishing that pattern of good choices, the bad ones show themselves as clearly being out of character.
Sometimes our mental health is a factor as well. I’m no stranger to that, and sometimes my mental mechanics make decisions that, when my conscious brain starts to ponder, I wonder what the fuck led to that choice. BUT we do have the power to chose to analyze our own mental health and seek appropriate treatment as needed and as accessible.
But you have to make the choice to think about your choices consciously and critically. It starts there.
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
The thing I’ve seen the most in my own life and relationships is there gets to be a point where people feel it is too late for them. Too late to turn their life around. But I think that’s bullshit. True, we need a consistency of choices to really see results, but every. fucking. moment brings us the opportunity to make new choices. From what we wear to how we respond.
At first, both choices might suck ass. But you have to make the best one you can in the circumstance. Then you do it again. Then again. And again, and again, and again. Eventually, the options get better and making the “good” decision becomes a lot easier.
Ultimately, it’s up to you what good and bad choices look like. But I think a good way to consider it is to ask how much harm a decision could make. Will it hurt yourself or others? If so, it’s a bad choice. Sometimes, like in the case of ending a relationship, hurt is inevitable. But you’ll be faced with decisions about how to end that relationship. That is where you have the opportunity to do the least amount of harm. Make that choice.
There’s one thing I can say for a fact. The willful decision to speak or cause harm to another person simply for the sake of causing harm is a bad choice.
LIFE GETS IN THE WAY
I’ve wanted this post to be more uplifting, but I also want to point out that life fucking sucks sometimes. And sometimes we get dealt a shit hand. Sometimes life makes choices for us. Sometimes, people are dealt a really fucking shit hand for no fault of their own. Institutionalized racism, poverty, misogyny, access at birth, and so much more play into the hand we are dealt in life.
But I don’t think that’s a reason to lose hope. It is definitely going to make the battle more difficult. One choice we have now that didn’t exist just a handful of years ago, however, is access to others. Thanks to the internet, we can connect as much or as little as we please. I know that easy access to the internet isn’t necessarily available to everyone. Hell, I basically couldn’t communicate with anyone for a few weeks after we moved out here because there’s no service on base and we couldn’t get internet for a few weeks, and it’s been unreliable since we did get it. Still, some access can make a word of difference over no access.
Curate the people you allow in your life, especially online. It can be difficult to avoid someone in person, but you can chose not to follow people who make you feel like shit. You can choose not to hate follow. You can chose not to leave comment. On the other side of the coin, you can choose to follow people who make you feel good. You can choose to leave someone a kind comment for no reason. Hell, you can chose to give a stranger a compliment on their hair or shoes or whatever. All those choices bring good.
Good will bring good. So make the best choices you can.
Really consider how many choices you make for five minutes. Now, take a moment to think, how does choice affect your life?
