“Choosing
= Responsibility”
Choosing equals responsibility. Responsibility is different
than accountability which we mentioned earlier.
Accountability is more of an “after the fact” word and
responsibility is a “before the fact” word. It’s like
knowing you are responsible for getting up and going to
work/school or you are responsible for paying your bills.
Being responsible for your choices and your actions says
there are expectations on you.
The good part is you set the expectations yourself. You are
responsible for what you choose to eat or not eat and for if
you choose to exercise or not exercise. You are responsible
for who you allow to go on the journey with you and who you
exclude from the journey. Being responsible allows you to
set up the guidelines for yourself.
“ Choosing
= Sacrifice”
I read somewhere that one of the reasons people do not like
to choose is because it requires sacrifice. Choosing means
there are at least two things you can select from. That
means that you are sacrificing something. When I choose to
eat healthy I am sacrificing my soda and my unhealthy food.
And when I choose to eat unhealthy I am sacrificing myself
by putting foods in me that are not good for me. Choosing
to park in a stall far away from the store and walk to the
store means sacrificing parking up front and walking a few
steps to the store.
Just the word sacrifice brings up images of giving up
something good. Yet, maybe we can think of it as
sacrificing for a greater good. If I sacrifice my time
sitting on the couch watching television for thirty minutes
of walking my heart will become healthier and my muscles
stronger. The question is – “what are we willing to
sacrifice for our greater good?”
“Choosing
= Trust”
Do you trust yourself to make decisions for yourself? Do
you trust yourself to follow through? To choose means to
trust ourselves. Trust that you are the best person to make
a choice/decision for and about yourself. A workout video
may say that you need to do four sets of fifteen of an
exercise however you may feel that is too much for your
body. You decide to alter the workout and do four sets of
ten. Someone else may say that you are not giving your
best, however you know your body and you stick to your
decision. That is trusting yourself to know what is best
for you. Maybe over the next month or two you work up to
four sets of fifteen – or maybe not.
Trust yourself and know that perfection is not a
destination. You are on a journey to your wellness and
there are times you will set a goal and reach it just as
there are times you will not reach it. Trust yourself on
the journey.
"Choosing
= Unhappiness"
How nice it would be if we could always be happy. But that
is not how life works. Sometimes things/events bring us
unhappiness. The act of choosing can make us unhappy like
when we are sacrificing something we want for something we
know is best for us. Choosing can also bring unhappiness
because we can face a challenge that we are not sure we can
meet. Unhappiness can be uncomfortable and lead us to
choosing something to relieve the discomfort. It’s like
setting a goal to walk two miles at a fast pace and then
halfway in your legs start to sting and tingle. To ease the
discomfort you decide to walk at a slow pace.
Unhappiness and discomfort are a part of growth. From
stretching our muscles to stretching our minds – both
require us to push ourselves from our comfort zones. This
change can bring about unhappiness and this unhappiness can
catapult us to our next level.
"Choosing
= Vulnerable"
Being vulnerable means being in a position to be physically
or emotionally attacked or hurt. When we make choices, we
put our feeling and sometimes our bodies on the line. We are
being vulnerable when we share with others that we are on a
journey to get healthy. Why? Because when we make a detour
from that journey we are open to their criticism. We are
being vulnerable when we walk into a gym with our
insecurities about our weight. We are even vulnerable to
ourselves as we declare to ourselves that we vow to live
differently. As we make choices let’s be aware that we may
be hurt, but let’s trust ourselves enough to know that no
matter what we are resilient.
"Choosing
= Willing/Willingness"
Choosing
means being willing. It’s being willing to make a different
choice if you feel it’s necessary. Being willing to stand
firm in your choice even if no one supports you in it.
Being willing to trust and believe in yourself. Your
willingness is a form of being open based on what you feel
is necessary. Being open to change as well as open to
boundaries you may need to set for yourself or others. This
being open may also come in the form of being unmovable in
what you have chosen. Have you ever decided to do something
and someone you know told you that you should do it a
different way – or you shouldn’t do it at all? When you
apply willingness, you evaluate your choice and the
information you received from them and then you can either
be willing to stick to your initial choice or take their
suggestion into consideration and make another choice. The
main point is – you are willing to make the choice for
yourself.
"Choosing
= X’d"
The “X” mark has multiple meaning. It can mean that
you are selecting something like when you vote and
you put an “x” in the box. It can mean that you are
crossing out something as if you made an error or
that you want to block out what was there and start
anew. For choosing the “x” mark is good for both
options. “X” can mean that we are choosing to “x”
out unhealthy foods and behaviors for healthier
choices. Let “X” mark our spot and represent us
selecting what is best for us.
"Choosing = You"
The
most important part of making a choice is “You”. So
often many of us have been taught to put other first
and to sacrifice ourselves for someone else. There
is a reason that when flying they teach you to put
on your oxygen mask first. It’s because if you
don’t take care of yourself first – you will not be
able to take care of anyone else. This includes;
choosing to rest instead of attending an event that
someone has invited you to attend. It’s choosing to
allow others to do things for themselves even though
they expect you to do it for them. Putting yourself
first is also about sending an internal message to
yourself that you are important. Important enough
to do what feels good/best to you. It allows you to
tune into yourself and learn who you are and what
you want. The best part about choosing yourself is
this power of choice is solely in your hands.
Choosing = Zigzag
Setting
the goal and making the choice to follow it is the
starting point. In our mind we can see where we are
starting and what we want in the end. The middle
part is rarely a straight line. The middle is where
we zigzag. It is where bumps, valleys, and hills
pop up and we have to zigzag for our straight course
as we continue to work to get to our goal. When we
are choosing to eat healthy our zigzags can
include; oh….I ate a ½ of cake, I ate fast food, I
did not eat any veggies...and the list can go on.
When we are choosing to watch our health it can look
like; I did not work-out, I did not take my
medication, I’m not follow the doctors’ orders
because they were too much.
The wonderful part about working towards our goals
is to know that zigzags are part of the process and
not allowing ourselves to quit as we encounter
them. We must also know our
goal (s) are still obtainable. Remember – there are
multiple ways to get to a destination i.e. a train,
a plane, a bus, a car, a bicycle, a motorcycle,
skates, walking, running, and some I don’t even know
about. And not everyone uses the same method. If
you have an accountability partner; you know the
person you talk to and the two of you keep one
another on track, and they seem to be doing well and
you feel like you are behind. It’s ok because you
are getting to your goal your way. Zigzag from
things come up, but keep going until you reach your
goal. Hopefully it’s for overall health – mentally,
physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
