It is ALWAYS a matter of choice

Is the statement “I did not have a choice” ever true?  Yes, its an age-old philosophical question, I know.  The very idea of choice represents “a corollary of the proposition of free will—i.e., the ability voluntarily to decide to perform one of several possible acts or to avoid action entirely”  http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/113978/choice. Often it is convenient to merely say “I had no choice”. Perhaps, this is a means for absolving ones self of potential repercussions or responsibility for an action.  Surely, if you had no choice, you can not be held responsible for the action taken, right? Hmmmm…

Well, I have learned as I continue to “grow-up” that there is always a choice; there are just times when I do not like what they are.  The choice that I make could solve one problem and cause another, it could have an undesirable effect on others, it could cause me some grief in the short-term, it could be the less than popular choice……I could go on and on and on.  Even to take no action, represents making a choice.

I have paid careful attention to slowing myself down and carefully considering all the possible choices that I have as opposed to limiting myself to the obvious ones that tend to surface right away.  I am exploring various possibilities with an open-mind and careful scrutiny.  I am talking the situation at hand through with reliable confidants in informal brain-storming sessions to gain alternative perspectives.  When I feel my back is up against a wall, I remind myself that there are always choices, the trick is to make the choice that you can stand behind with integrity.

Yes, you always have a choice, you are making them continually throughout each day; the choice to go to work, to buy groceries, to take a class, check an email, use the bathroom (yes, this is still a choice!!  you could go to the bathroom to do your business or you could sit right where you are…not the most desirable option, but still…LOL)

Choose carefully!