POWER OF CHOICE

 

Holocaust survivor and Psychiatrist Dr Viktor Frankl wrote in his epoch-making book, Man's Search for Meaning – "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

 

God has been very kind in gifting humans with the power of CHOICE. Every day, consciously or unconsciously, we continue to make small and significant decisions ranging from what to eat to what to wear to WHAT TO BECOME. At every step – we exercise our choice. Attitude is a choice; Happiness is a choice; Optimism is a choice; Kindness is a choice; Giving is a choice; Respect is a choice – Life is nothing but the sum of our CHOICES. Essentially, life is a series of continuous choices we make every day.

 

I am a medical professional. However, I had a choice to go either to IIT or Medicine when I cleared my Prep Examination (I was fortunate to secure good grades to get this choice). I am a doctor today because I chose medicine. Had I chosen IIT, my life would have been different! Are not our lives the culmination of our choices?

 

When we feel unfulfilled or dissatisfied in our present circumstances, it is often because we made career choices under societal / peer pressure rather than pursuing our true passion. Our present is defined by what we decided yesterday. Roger Crawford commented, "We are a product of the choices we make, not the circumstances we face".

 

We face the dilemma of choices as we have plenty of options. This is called CHOICE OVERLOAD (the term used by Alvin Toffler in FUTURE SHOCK and Barry Schwartz in THE PARADOX OF CHOICE). In today's world dictated by consumers, the choices are plenty – apparel, jewellery, electronic items, and even choosing a career. At every step of our decision-making (small or big), we face CHOICE OVERLOAD. 

 

When faced with too many choices, we get overwhelmed and anxious. We often chase many paths at a time, only to realize we get nothing! It is like when we chase two rabbits, we get none. 

 

As against Choice Overload, we often face NO OTHER CHOICE situations. e.g. no other option but an amputation to save a human life. Life by no means is an easy ride !!

 

What Influences our choices? For many, life moves on a well-prescribed path laid down by others (family, friends). Peer pressures, expected trends, others' influence, seeking safe ways (although not liked), and aversion to taking risks – prevent us from choosing what our heart says. We often choose to "not do" rather than "do" due to fear of failure.

 

Our choices define our mental well-being. We often say "YES" to others when we want to say "NO". The courage to say NO is a choice within our control. 

 

How can we make the right choice? There can't be an algorithm as a guide to sharpen our choice-making. However, I have a few suggestions which might help.

 

·       Clarity about the priority is a crucial component in choice-making. If we are clear about our priorities, we will walk on the path we would love to travel.

 

·       We should envision the possible future impact of our chosen path. (e.g., choosing a career). Zig Ziglar said: "Every choice you make has a result". 

·       Intuition is a whisper of the soul. Our choice based on intuition turns out to be what we love. Do have faith in it.

 

·       Proper research – gathering information – before taking any call always guides you to walk on the right path.

 

·       Carefully considering all alternatives (without external pressure) is a way to go.

 

·       Self-belief defines no undue influence on our decision-making. We must choose what we love. We must decide what helps us to realize our full potential.

 

·       Asking the right questions is difficult but crucial for sound decision-making. Our attitude has a lot of bearing on our ability to choose. 

 

Do we not end up not making any choice at times? However, we must realize that not making a choice is also a choice! Let me quote Theodore Roosevelt – "In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing".

 

So then, Is Destiny a CHOICE or a CHANCE?   This has been an eternal debate – DO WE HAVE FREE WILL? I do not want to wrangle into arguments in favour of and against. But I do want to bring home two points. 

 

As a firm believer in KARMA, I accept that our fate results from our 'karma'. Remember what Shri Krishna tells Arjun – 

"यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु" । (Do as you wish). 

Please understand - This is not an implication of free will but power given to humans to CHOOSE. 

 

Let me end with an insightful quote from Mark Twain – "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do".

 

Choose Wisely – We are what we choose to be!