Believing that you can’t change your circumstances is one sure way to feel powerless. You can spend all the time in the world bemoaning your job, your relationships, your finances, your lack of opportunities, or your streak of “bad luck” . . . but doing so only keeps you locked into an illusion of permanency.
The truth is, you always have choices. You may not like the choices available, but they are still yours. You can choose to act, or not act; you can choose to be optimistic about the possibilities that exist for your life, or you can accept limitations at every turn. Deciding which choice is best is the tricky part.
Fear can also disguise itself as a condition of powerlessness. You may know on some level that you have choices but refuse to acknowledge them because you fear the unknown.
You know you can leave a dissatisfying job, but then what will you do? Will you find another job to replace it, and if so will it be a job you enjoy, or be worse than the one you just left?
You know you can dissolve an unhealthy relationship, but is being alone really any better? At least now you have someone there, even if it’s not the person you’d prefer to be there. Rather than face uncertain outcomes, you avoid making choices at all.
Whether you really believe you have a shortage of options or you are simply making excuses because you’re afraid to move forward, know that it’s ALL within your control.
Just like every other person on the planet, you always have the most basic opportunity before you now: resign yourself to staying where you are, or roll up your sleeves and make something happen. If you worry about making the wrong choice, know that you can always make another choice.
You can keep making choices as often as you’d like until you find something that works for you. To avoid making choices altogether doesn’t serve you, because in the end even not making choices is a decision all its own.
“You’ve got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you’re not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice.” – Steven D. Woodhull