The Power of Choice

I think it's quite appropriate for a weekly blog titled, "Observations of an Optimist" to be published on Monday mornings. What other day of the week, other than Monday, would a person need some uplifting words of encouragement? I just validated on webMD.com that people are at their highest risk for heart attacks on Monday morning. How sad!!

I concluded my post last week with two questions:
     1) Do you take 100% responsibility for your life? And
     2) Is the life you're choosing to live today a positive or negative life and why?

I truly believe, now more than any other time in human history, we have more control and, thus, responsibility for our lives, success or failure, our happiness or dissatisfaction. I also believe this control and responsibility crosses all cultural, ethnic, color, gender, etc. borders. And yet, we still have what I refer to as a "victim mentality" permeating this great country.

Years ago, I read Stephen Covey's, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." I thought it was a really good book but, aside from the 7 Habits, there was mention of Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, that really changed my life. It was at the beginning of the book when Mr. Covey introduced me to what Dr. Frankl called, "the power to choose." I won't go into detail here but, on this Monday morning as you enter the high-risk period for heart attack, I want you to remember the following:

Stimulus -> Choice -> Response

There is absolute power just after any stimulus in your life just before you respond to that stimulus. In that fleeting second is your Power to Choose. If you are willing to take control of that choice, you take control of your entire life. I can look back on my life, during various stimuli i.e. my Mother's death when I was 18 years old, dealing with a horrible Manager, winning the biggest deal of my career, etc. that I can see the degree of control I possessed dependent upon my choice of how I responded to the specific situation.

Know that today you have that power! No more will be a "victim of circumstance." Your power to choose has been there all along. Whether you've done an excellent job controlling your response or this is an entirely new concept, I hope you will even more positively and effectively take control over your life and, especially, your Monday mornings!

"I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live" Deuteronomy 30:19