You Get to Choose

If you don’t choose, the Universe chooses for you.

By default, yes, but it’s still your choice.

If you hate the stagnancy of your life, your job, the state of your home, your body shape, your…whatever, it’s up to you to find the courage and inner strength to make a change. No excuses, no what ifs, no if onlys, no shame.

Because none of it matters.

You may have the most valid reasons on earth as to why you’re stuck, who did ya wrong, and what exactly needs to occur for the stars to align in your favor, but the truth is, nothing will be different until you decide to take action.

It’s that simple. And it’s that complicated.

The good news is, you have more power than you might think you do. 

If you decide you want to declutter your house and commit to taking sustained steps to do so, even 10-15 minutes a day will make a difference, no matter how big or overwhelming the overall project may seem. 

If you want to lose weight and make exercise and healthy eating a priority, the scale will move in the right direction, although it may take time and patience to see results. 

If you want to launch your own business and do at least one thing every day in furtherance of that outcome, you’ll remind yourself how good it feels to follow your heart and begin to make choices out of curiosity and joy rather than fear. You might even surprise yourself at the possibilities that start appearing seemingly out of nowhere in support of your new, more authentic life choices and aspirations.

Small activities add up. They multiply and feed on themselves and give you pops of confidence that encourage you to keep going and remind you that you’re on the right path. 

They open up time and space in your mind, your day-to-day routines, and your physical environment that weren’t there before and allow you to gain more clarity about what you want and how you might get there. 

They show you, in tangible ways, what it feels like to let go of the shoulds and the I can’ts and the I don’t know hows and instead say screw it, I’m going to do it anyway. 

They sustain you and validate your choices as you push forward and remember how to trust in yourself and your ability to do hard things.

Because you can.

I promise you, you really can.

So start. Start with where you are right now, wherever that might be.

If you know what you want but haven’t yet made time to do it, start there. Make an action plan and stick to it. Commit to doing something every day. Check in with yourself in a week and see how you feel. Adjust what needs shifting. And keep going.

If you don’t know what you want or how to get there but you know that something – or maybe a lot of somethings – need to change, get quiet. 

Find a place and a time where you can sit undisturbed for 10 minutes, pen and paper nearby. 

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, feel your feet on the floor and the energy of the earth rippling up through your body, and listen.

It’s okay if you don’t hear anything at first. Just sit, noticing the rise and fall of your breath, and listen some more. 

Give yourself permission to start chipping away at the noise and clutter that cloud your everyday so that you’re ready when that still, soft voice peeks through and whispers, it’s me. Here I am; here’s what I want.   

Then – and this is important – honor that voice. Really listen to what it’s telling you. Jot down some notes if that feels helpful. Let it percolate for a bit. Don’t get sidetracked by not knowing how you’ll accomplish what it wants or all the things you have to do instead. Just listen, as you would to a small child who trusts you enough to share her most important hopes and dreams with you.

Let your heart tell you what you most need to hear.

Write it down. Know that it’s real. Trust that you are smart and capable and creative enough to figure out what’s next and then what’s next after that, and again and again and again until you’ve changed your life so much for the better that it makes you break out into a crazy lopsided grin whenever you think about it.

Then do one thing today that moves you closer to your goal. And another tomorrow, and the day after that, and…well, you get the idea.

Because you get to choose. Every single day. You get to choose how to handle the challenges and twists life throws at you. You get the honor and the privilege of making them your own while deepening your commitment to live with integrity, building your self-reliance, and learning how to view this crazy roller coaster of a journey with a sense of adventure and fun.

You get to choose. Isn’t that great? So let’s get started. Ready…set…go!