Your life is lived either by choice or chance.
What do I mean by this statement?
Living by choice implies that you are consciously taking action to create the life you dream of. Living by chance means that most of your life is lived unconsciously in reaction mode.
Unconscious Living
In this context unconscious living does not mean the same as being unconscious in a coma or passed out. It means living in a state of reactive routine where you seldom stop to think about what you do next, what you are you going to do tomorrow, next week, next month or next year.
You react to current situations based on past experience without looking at the specific circumstances, not even noticing that you have the choice to select a different, possibly more appropriate response.
Life simply rambles on in the same manner, generally leaving you wondering how you got from Monday to Friday and what happened inbetween. You notice everything missing in your life and wonder how you ended up right where you are today, yet you simply repeat it all again tomorrow.
Your conversations include words such as “should have, could have, try and but”. You seldom celebrate.
Gratitude is not a regular guest in your everyday experience. Comparison, however, fills much of your day – what others have compared to what you don’t have.
You seldom give to others because you believe charity begins at home.
You spend far more time planning your annual vacation (if you go on one) than you do planning your life.
You don’t see life as the greatest gift you have ever received.
You have very little notion of what your future looks like and you generally feel that it does not matter what you do because it’s all a game of chance and luck in the end, isn’t it?
You often speak about what you need without realising that focussing on needs carries the implication of lack and incompleteness, focussing your attention on unsatisfactory present conditions.
Choices
You actively participate in your daily drama. How, you ask? That taxi that cut you off this morning, you can choose to swear at the inconsiderate driver and get your blood pressure shooting through the roof or you can reason that the driver is rushing to drop his commuters because his wife has just gone into labour.
The choice is yours and you truly do not know what the truth is, do you?
Given that you cannot categorically know the truth, you can choose how you allow the situation to impact your mood and your blood pressure. Making a new choice on a more regular basis starts becoming a reference point for you in the future. This allows you to re-wire your behaviour over time in a manner that serves a greater version of your life.
You can make this choice, but do you?
In the end you are largely living out of the past with very little proactive, deliberate action supporting your desired future.
You live in the story of your past.
You are surviving.
Conscious Living
Living consciously, on the other hand, is filled with excitement as each day unfolds, revealing more possibilities than most people even take the time to notice.
You know that you are the creator of your experience and you consciously create your experience, each day, every week and all year long (ok, you have crap day but you don’t live in that day, you don’t move in and start a family).
You deliberately take a moment in the morning to express gratitude for the gifts that surround you. You notice what is right in your world and how far you have come.
You make time to tell those you love how important they are to you (even if they just did something that has the potential to result in you loosing it, you make a choice to see all they do to make you smile instead). You make time to ensure you are able to connect with yourself often, since you understand that losing sight of yourself is losing site of the person responsible for crafting your experience. You look after yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually because you know that to be full is the only way you have enough to give to others.
a different choice
You do not allow the past to dictate how you show up in each moment of your life. You choose not to react out of habit but rather to create a new experience when faced with situations similar to the past, knowing that this will ensure a different outcome.
You celebrate often.
You have a very clear picture of the future you are creating, but you have left enough room for surprises to show up. You have confidence that as you consciously take action towards that future, knowing if the unexpected happens, your future will unfold in a manner that is perfect for you.
You often speak about your desired future knowing that desire points you in the direction of where you want to go, and typically has you looking forward and not backwards.
Your write your own story and take accountability for your life and all your choices.
You are thriving.
In the end
Whether you live consciously by choice or unconsciously by chance – it is always your choice and right now you have the power to choose – choice or chance?
What will it be?
Know that your destiny is NEVER tied to anything in the past.