Choices
By Byron Pulsifer
Choices.
We all make them everyday.
Some are good, and some are not so good.
You can surrender your destiny to the desires of others, or you
can
make your own. The point is that we can make choices that help us
to
move forward through adversity, or we may make choices that
assist
others to move beyond or through some of life's issues.
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it
is
not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
--
William Jennings Bryan
Choices are within everyone's command.
No one has to do, or is obligated to live their lives as others
live.
On the other hand, inevitably at some point in our lives, we
witness,
first-hand, choices that other people, friends, family members
or
colleagues make that we can clearly see are leading them down
a
slippery slope to either immediate devastating consequences, or
a
future that can be potentially harmful.
As caring people, we probably have all made efforts to try and
assist
other individuals to change or alter a choice so they won't
experience
what we feel will be negative reactions, rejection, or, worse
still,
criminal prosecutions.
While there is nothing inherently wrong or misguided about our
good
intentions, the ultimate choice people make is entirely up to
them.
We can't live other people's lives for them; we don't want to
put
ourselves in any position that appears or demonstrates that we own
their problems or own their choices.
These people own their own lives; they make the choices, good or
bad.
"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone
else
expects of you. Never excuse yourself." -- Henry Ward Beecher
Choices. We make hundreds of choices in our lives. Other people
make
hundreds of choices. We might wish and hope that we can change
other
peoples' choices so they can avoid potential problems be that
drug
abuse, alcohol, relationships, parenting and on and on.
But, we cannot make choices for others - what we can strive to do
is offer
constructive opinions or suggestions, when asked, or referrals
to
professionals who can assist in one's decision-making. A quote by
W.
Clement Stone may help you, or may help others keep moving
forward
through the never-ending maze of choices:
"You always do what you want to do.
This is true with every act. You may say that you had to do
something,
or that you were forced to, but actually, whatever you do, you do
by
choice.
Only you have the power to choose for yourself."