Everything is a CHOICE

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I wanted to start this topic because over the past couple years I've done a lot of reading (including The Secret, The Hidden Messages in Water, A Return to Love, The Secrets of Success, etc.) and my beliefs have really grown. What I've come to realize over these years is that everything we face in life is a choice... from the things we all know are choices, to how we choose to react to our circumstances.

I see a lot of posts around here where people use the phrase "I can't." But what that really means is, "I choose not to." Maybe you choose not to because the other choice is harder... and we, as people, tend to choose the easier path. So, why not challenge yourself to choose the harder thing?
Maybe you want to do 100 push-ups but you say, "I can't." I mean, sure you can't just say, "I can" and drop and knock them out if you've never done it before BUT you CAN make the choice to work up to 100 push-ups... saying "I can" along the way!

At the same time we choose how to view ourselves. We can choose to continually be disgusted with ourselves and our efforts, or we can choose to love ourselves and be proud of what we do on a daily basis. I think we constantly get stuck in the mind frame of "not good enough." Well, another downfall is when we compare ourselves to others, or begin to envy. You are only yourself and should only compare yourself with... yourself.

So, I ask you today to:
1.) Choose to love yourself
2.) Choose to be thankful for all you have
3.) Choose to be proud of all of your efforts and achievements
4.) Remember that you CAN
5.) Choose to view the world with love and gratefulness

My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. - Elaine Maxwell

I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime. - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action. - John Dewey

What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life. - Leo Buscaglia

To choose what is difficult all one's days, as if it were easy, that is faith. - W. H. Auden

The joy of discipline or the pain or regret... what will it be today - Tony Horton

What I'd LOVE is for us to help each other find that right mind set to really succeed at all we do... so that we don't feel stuck, lost, impatient, etc. Success comes from the inside out. In order to be able to success on the outside, we must first succeed at winning over our own thoughts... go from hate to love, from discontent to content, from impatient to patient. It can be done. It will be done!
I know because I've done it... sure, I still struggle, and it always will be... but we all have the choice. Today I choose love myself and all that I have. What's your choice?
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Replies

  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    I wanted to start this topic because over the past couple years I've done a lot of reading (including The Secret, The Hidden Messages in Water, A Return to Love, The Secrets of Success, etc.) and my beliefs have really grown. What I've come to realize over these years is that everything we face in life is a choice... from the things we all know are choices, to how we choose to react to our circumstances.

    I see a lot of posts around here where people use the phrase "I can't." But what that really means is, "I choose not to." Maybe you choose not to because the other choice is harder... and we, as people, tend to choose the easier path. So, why not challenge yourself to choose the harder thing?
    Maybe you want to do 100 push-ups but you say, "I can't." I mean, sure you can't just say, "I can" and drop and knock them out if you've never done it before BUT you CAN make the choice to work up to 100 push-ups... saying "I can" along the way!

    At the same time we choose how to view ourselves. We can choose to continually be disgusted with ourselves and our efforts, or we can choose to love ourselves and be proud of what we do on a daily basis. I think we constantly get stuck in the mind frame of "not good enough." Well, another downfall is when we compare ourselves to others, or begin to envy. You are only yourself and should only compare yourself with... yourself.

    So, I ask you today to:
    1.) Choose to love yourself
    2.) Choose to be thankful for all you have
    3.) Choose to be proud of all of your efforts and achievements
    4.) Remember that you CAN
    5.) Choose to view the world with love and gratefulness

    My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. - Elaine Maxwell

    I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime. - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

    The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action. - John Dewey

    What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life. - Leo Buscaglia

    To choose what is difficult all one's days, as if it were easy, that is faith. - W. H. Auden

    The joy of discipline or the pain or regret... what will it be today - Tony Horton

    What I'd LOVE is for us to help each other find that right mind set to really succeed at all we do... so that we don't feel stuck, lost, impatient, etc. Success comes from the inside out. In order to be able to success on the outside, we must first succeed at winning over our own thoughts... go from hate to love, from discontent to content, from impatient to patient. It can be done. It will be done!
    I know because I've done it... sure, I still struggle, and it always will be... but we all have the choice. Today I choose love myself and all that I have. What's your choice?
  • Theresa35
    Theresa35 Posts: 1,102
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    Thanks Melanie for the wonderful words. It was exactly what I needed to read today!

    Many blessnings....:flowerforyou:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    Thank YOU Theresa! :flowerforyou:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    *bump* No one else has any comments on this???
  • Jackiemal
    Jackiemal Posts: 63 Member
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    Hi,

    I've read The Secret too. It made sense to me (even if my family would think I'm a whacko for reading it). :laugh:

    I think its hard for people to omit that they have choices, that their decisions make their lives. That way they don't have to take responsibility for how it turned out. I'm the reason I'm fat. I could blame how I was raised or genetics or metabolism, but in the end, I'm the only one who determines my body size.

    One of the best things I got from that book (and from Oprah lol) was to be grateful. I try to come up with 5 things to be grateful for everyday. Sometimes it's hard, like I might say..I'm grateful to have working limbs or hey, I woke up this morning. lol What this does though is put you in a great frame of mind. You continually look for things to be grateful for and that brings more things into your life to be grateful for.

    Jackie

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    'How does one become a butterfly?, she asked. 'You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.'
  • jill927
    jill927 Posts: 471 Member
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    I love you.
  • soup78
    soup78 Posts: 667 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Thank you for reminding all of us what we DO have. We have the choice to wake up each day and make it what we want. I'm gonna go for a walk now and enjoy the the fact that I CAN! I'm gonna appreciate my legs that allow me to walk, the sun shining on my face which warms my soul and just makes me happy. I will choose to walk a little faster today, simply because I can. Every small choice I make today is part of my bigger picture tomorrow.

    Thanks for making my day sweeter! :heart:
  • Sunibc22
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    I enjoyed reading this today.
    I personally have had a really tough year. Alot has gone on im my life an very little of it good recently. however I'm getting through it all with alot of what you said.
    Every morning during my whole morning routine I make a mental list of what I'm grateful for. Some days it can be hard and I'm grateful for some really silly things but I am grateful. I also lay in bed every night and I imagine that when I wake up in the morning I am my ideal size. I imagine getting out of bed, taking a shower, getting dressed all as a healthy happy person. I imagine looking in the mirror and loving my body, loving how easy it is to do my daily tasks, loving how clothes fit so much bettter. I find doing this helps me to make the choices the next day to acheive this healthy version of myself. So I choose to no longer hate my body. I choose to get healthy and lose my weight for once and all. And I am very excited about the journey!!
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
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    bump
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad that you all are finding this too!

    It's true, we spend our lives trying to blame things on other people... but everything that happens in our life is due to the choices we make... whether the choice was to let a certain person into our lives (who may have totally been wrong for us), to how we feel about our hair today... so, yeah.
    It's important, I think, to understand this because it will help us work towards all of our goals... and then we will realize that these goals are, indeed, within our grasp.
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    *bumping* in case others may find it useful :flowerforyou:
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
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    I wanted to start this topic because over the past couple years I've done a lot of reading (including The Secret, The Hidden Messages in Water, A Return to Love, The Secrets of Success, etc.) and my beliefs have really grown. What I've come to realize over these years is that everything we face in life is a choice... from the things we all know are choices, to how we choose to react to our circumstances.

    I see a lot of posts around here where people use the phrase "I can't." But what that really means is, "I choose not to." Maybe you choose not to because the other choice is harder... and we, as people, tend to choose the easier path. So, why not challenge yourself to choose the harder thing?
    Maybe you want to do 100 push-ups but you say, "I can't." I mean, sure you can't just say, "I can" and drop and knock them out if you've never done it before BUT you CAN make the choice to work up to 100 push-ups... saying "I can" along the way!

    At the same time we choose how to view ourselves. We can choose to continually be disgusted with ourselves and our efforts, or we can choose to love ourselves and be proud of what we do on a daily basis. I think we constantly get stuck in the mind frame of "not good enough." Well, another downfall is when we compare ourselves to others, or begin to envy. You are only yourself and should only compare yourself with... yourself.

    So, I ask you today to:
    1.) Choose to love yourself
    2.) Choose to be thankful for all you have
    3.) Choose to be proud of all of your efforts and achievements
    4.) Remember that you CAN
    5.) Choose to view the world with love and gratefulness

    My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. - Elaine Maxwell

    I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime. - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

    The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action. - John Dewey

    What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life. - Leo Buscaglia

    To choose what is difficult all one's days, as if it were easy, that is faith. - W. H. Auden

    The joy of discipline or the pain or regret... what will it be today - Tony Horton

    What I'd LOVE is for us to help each other find that right mind set to really succeed at all we do... so that we don't feel stuck, lost, impatient, etc. Success comes from the inside out. In order to be able to success on the outside, we must first succeed at winning over our own thoughts... go from hate to love, from discontent to content, from impatient to patient. It can be done. It will be done!
    I know because I've done it... sure, I still struggle, and it always will be... but we all have the choice. Today I choose love myself and all that I have. What's your choice?
    :drinker:
  • marisol7649
    marisol7649 Posts: 484 Member
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    That is so true. I also have read those books!! bump
  • BxMom
    BxMom Posts: 363
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    I have not read the book "The Secret" but I did watch the movie and that was inspiring

    It's so simple the concept of what you put out into the universe is what you get.
    If you are negative you attract negative situations and people.
    If you are positive you attract positive situations and people.
    Set your goals with a realistic timeframe to reach them. EX: lose 20lbs in 10 weeks.
    Never set unrealistic goals because YOU WILL FAIL
    Give to receive never receive to give

    I don't live by this rule all the time but I do my best to use it especially on days where it seems like everything that can go wrong has. I remind myself that there are others out there in worse situations than myself and they have been in that darkness longer than I have.

    I don't allow the word "can't" to leave me lips when it really counts. I have made too many excuse over the years, hence the weight gain, bought of depression & anger, I played the blaming gaming for awhile and never took responsibility for my own actions. I wasn't setting a good example for my kids by CHOICE. I do my best every day to be grateful for what I have, focus on the good not the bad, be good to myself and CHOOSE to push myself and kids to greater things

    Life is nothing but a series of choices both good and bad. It's those choices that shape our future so lets do our best to make positive ones from this point one.

    Choice is a funny thing -- we make good ones, good bad ones but should never let others make them for us.
  • sportygal
    sportygal Posts: 221 Member
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    You are so right! Can't truly is a four letter word. Basically people are saying they won't do something. Can't is not something I will utter. It crosses my mind, I have to admit, but I pull that thought and beat it to a pulp! LOL
    The 4 agreements is a great book too!

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  • Losing_It
    Losing_It Posts: 3,271 Member
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    Thanks for CHOOSING to share this with us!!!! It's very inspirational!!!:flowerforyou:
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    What a positive message. Thanks for posting. I agree, everything in life is a choice and we can choose to succeed and to love ourselves. It's not always easy but it's much more pleasant than choosing the negative.
  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    I have not read these books but I have learned that I feel better and my life is better when I choose to look at it positively. Even when things are really hard like they have been the last few months. I keep a postivie attitude. Looking at the things I am thankful for, proud of.

    I get tired of some people I know with that poor me attitude. Especially when their situation is because of choices they made and continue to make.

    Thanks for posting, it's a good reminder.
  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
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    I haven't read the book either however I have read a lot of Iyanla Vanzant and she basically has the same message. One quote I remember "If you made a wrong choice, choose again". We always have to power of choice. We just have to have the courage to exercise it. Sometimes we just have to put our big girl panties on and deal with it!:smile:

    Thank you for your post.
  • mgullette
    mgullette Posts: 401 Member
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    I love personal power and believe that almost everything in life is a choice...it's whether or not you do something about it. Thanks for the read.