A conceptual genius, marketing wiz and the writer of the blog that starts my day - Seth Godin.
He sent out this gem last week, take a read and then let me digress:
No Choice
"I had no choice, I just couldn't get out of bed."
"I had no choice, it was the best program I could get into."
"I had no choice, he told me to do it..."
Really?
It's probably more accurate to say, "the short-term benefit/satisfaction/risk avoidance was a lot higher than anything else, so I chose to do what I did."
Remarkable work often comes from making choices when everyone else feels as though there is no choice. Difficult choices involve painful sacrifices, advance planning or just plain guts.
Saying you have no choice cuts off all options, absolves responsibility and is the dream killer.
http://www.sethgodin.com
I love this. I love this so much because it is honest. Brutally honest. If we are completely honest with ourselves, we can all pick a time where we have said some variation of "no choice". I think secretly, deep down inside when we do say these things, we know the truth. We know that we probably didn't challenge ourselves enough and that in some way, we quit.
This blog of God-in's is one that I hope I am able to re-call often. Whenever I may think about not having choice, I hope to remind myself that if I don't - then I am really just giving up.
When "not having a choice" I am cutting myself short.
I choose the decisions I make. I am in charge of my choices, my opinions and my values.
Whether that means getting out of bed on time, wearing heels or flats, speeding, staying up too late, letting someone's opinion effect my own, speaking up, working late to get it done, or pushing myself just a little bit further...I choose to have a choice.
Thanks for reading, I hope this is inspiring to you as it was to me.
Cheers,
Polly
