I've been thinking about the choices we make. There are big
choices like where to live, who to live with, and which
phone to buy. There are small choices like going out for
pizza, burgers or Chinese. And then there are the automatic
"non-choices" like whether to exercise, eat desert or watch
TV.
In the long run, our lives are determined by the choices we
make. Sure, circumstances and past events influence us.
Genetics play a role and perhaps luck is part of it. But
mostly, our personal decisions determine the direction and
quality of our lives. So I'm amazed at how little time we
spend thinking about how we make the choices that control
our lives.
All of this is brought to you by observing our process for
selecting candidates for next year's Presidential election.
I believe there are about 20 announced candidates in the
two major parties. Together they will spend hundreds of
millions of dollars, travel millions of miles, shake thousands
of hands, kiss hundreds of babies, and annoy all of us
with their television ads. Eventually, two of them will
become our candidates.
Assuming being President of the United States is a highly
skilled executive position wielding tremendous power and
influence, will the parties select their best candidates
and will American voters choose the best one? How will we
decide?
Some will vote based on their assessment of a candidate's
character. Others will examine their policy positions. Many
will vote for the most charismatic or popular candidate.
Some will vote for a familiar name or based on a
candidate's home state, background or party affiliation.
What's the "best" way to choose a President? How should we
decide?
And, to bring it from the national down to the personal,
how will use your time in the next twelve hours? Where will
you focus your attention? Your effort? Which phone call
will you return? What will you eat for lunch? How much
sleep will you get tonight? How will you decide?
This is your life! I've read that a huge percentage of
Americans are over-weight. Apparently, lots of Americans
choose to consume more calories than they burn every day.
I've heard most Americans have little or no savings. That
suggests they are making specific choices about their
money. I understand some of us read more books than others.
That, too, reflects our decisions about how we use our
time.
My own observations lead me to believe that most of us,
most of the time, rarely make conscious decisions about any
of these things. We act as if there are "automatic" or pre-
determined rules about "how life is."
We get up, do our morning routine, go to work, get through
the day pretty much the same way every day, come home and
do our evening routine. We act as if we are not free
agents.
But actually, we ARE free agents! We are free and creative
people. On any given day, we can surprise ourselves and
shock those around us. We can go for a bike ride, read a
book, take a different route to work, make that important
(but potentially frightening) call.
Highly successful people make different choices than the
rest of us almost every single day. They get up a bit
earlier. They focus on their priorities with a bit more
passion and persistence. Successful people use their time,
their energy, their skills and their networks differently
than failures. I believe they are more aware of their
choices than the rest of us.
They see each day as filled with thousands of options and
they make intentional, conscious, specific choices. They
could watch more television, but choose to stay at work a
bit longer. They understand they could "pass the time" but
instead they choose to "use" or "invest" their time.
Every single day, we make far more choices than we
acknowledge. Most of us allow the majority of our choices
to be made out of habit or routine, rather than seizing the
moment to actually decide how we want to live. My suggestion
is to forget "seizing the day" (it's too big) and instead
focus on "seizing the moment." Moment by moment, decide the
kind of person you want to be and choose the activity that
creates the life you want to live.
Seize the moment!
choices like where to live, who to live with, and which
phone to buy. There are small choices like going out for
pizza, burgers or Chinese. And then there are the automatic
"non-choices" like whether to exercise, eat desert or watch
TV.
In the long run, our lives are determined by the choices we
make. Sure, circumstances and past events influence us.
Genetics play a role and perhaps luck is part of it. But
mostly, our personal decisions determine the direction and
quality of our lives. So I'm amazed at how little time we
spend thinking about how we make the choices that control
our lives.
All of this is brought to you by observing our process for
selecting candidates for next year's Presidential election.
I believe there are about 20 announced candidates in the
two major parties. Together they will spend hundreds of
millions of dollars, travel millions of miles, shake thousands
of hands, kiss hundreds of babies, and annoy all of us
with their television ads. Eventually, two of them will
become our candidates.
Assuming being President of the United States is a highly
skilled executive position wielding tremendous power and
influence, will the parties select their best candidates
and will American voters choose the best one? How will we
decide?
Some will vote based on their assessment of a candidate's
character. Others will examine their policy positions. Many
will vote for the most charismatic or popular candidate.
Some will vote for a familiar name or based on a
candidate's home state, background or party affiliation.
What's the "best" way to choose a President? How should we
decide?
And, to bring it from the national down to the personal,
how will use your time in the next twelve hours? Where will
you focus your attention? Your effort? Which phone call
will you return? What will you eat for lunch? How much
sleep will you get tonight? How will you decide?
This is your life! I've read that a huge percentage of
Americans are over-weight. Apparently, lots of Americans
choose to consume more calories than they burn every day.
I've heard most Americans have little or no savings. That
suggests they are making specific choices about their
money. I understand some of us read more books than others.
That, too, reflects our decisions about how we use our
time.
My own observations lead me to believe that most of us,
most of the time, rarely make conscious decisions about any
of these things. We act as if there are "automatic" or pre-
determined rules about "how life is."
We get up, do our morning routine, go to work, get through
the day pretty much the same way every day, come home and
do our evening routine. We act as if we are not free
agents.
But actually, we ARE free agents! We are free and creative
people. On any given day, we can surprise ourselves and
shock those around us. We can go for a bike ride, read a
book, take a different route to work, make that important
(but potentially frightening) call.
Highly successful people make different choices than the
rest of us almost every single day. They get up a bit
earlier. They focus on their priorities with a bit more
passion and persistence. Successful people use their time,
their energy, their skills and their networks differently
than failures. I believe they are more aware of their
choices than the rest of us.
They see each day as filled with thousands of options and
they make intentional, conscious, specific choices. They
could watch more television, but choose to stay at work a
bit longer. They understand they could "pass the time" but
instead they choose to "use" or "invest" their time.
Every single day, we make far more choices than we
acknowledge. Most of us allow the majority of our choices
to be made out of habit or routine, rather than seizing the
moment to actually decide how we want to live. My suggestion
is to forget "seizing the day" (it's too big) and instead
focus on "seizing the moment." Moment by moment, decide the
kind of person you want to be and choose the activity that
creates the life you want to live.
Seize the moment!
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