A life of choices

Every day you make 35,000 choices.

These were the opening lines to an advert on the train to Northampton. For those wandering, the claim was made by Choose Chartered... a financial advice company. I decided to put their claim to the test.

Everyday I make 35,000 choices.

I get up, ideally before 9am every morning. That is a choice that I've decided to make routine, but I've also got the choice to not get out of bed by 9 and to get up slightly after 9 or perhaps even to get up a couple of minutes into the afternoon.

Okay thats one set, what other set of choices do I make? I decide whether or not to put the heating on before I take my shower so that the room is nice and toasty when I get out of the shower.

A couple of seconds into the exercise I soon realised that I make tons of individual choices each day. Some are a matter of protocol - do I go by my usual routine or do I diverge from it? And some are a matter of 'wherever the wind blows' I'll go, aka - YOLO !

It then dawned upon me. We are the pilots over every decision that we make in life. There are two types of turbulence. The right source of inspiration is vital.

1. We are the pilots over every decision that we make in life

Yes it's true. If you're still out there blaming others for the mistakes that you make then you've got it all wrong. You should be so assured of every action that you take over your own life so that whenever things do happen to go wrong, you have yourself to blame for that. Why is this so ideal? - I'll tell you.

Imagine walking down the corridor and you trip over a stapler. You fall flat on your face. You didn't see it coming and now you want answers.

Now imagine walking down the corridor alert. You're aware of the possible obstructions around you that could hinder you from making it to the end of the corridor. Just like in the first scenario you fall, but you quickly realise what made you stumble - loss of concentration. You are soon back up on your feet. You dust yourself off and continue on your journey.

Swift recoveries occur when you make yourself The Boss. In the first scenario we see a delay, the choice of making it to the end of the corridor is snatched away because now the individual is having to seek remedy. They want to blame someone else for the fall and in doing so they loose a sense of direction. They look for who to dust them off, like a baby that trips over, wailing until its mother comes to kiss them better.

People that relate to this are often those that go through the day with unfinished choices. A goal is set but not fully fulfilled. Do you rely on others to kiss it all better for you? 

2. There are two types of turbulence

First, the sway of distraction

This can come in several forms, to name a few - material things and people. I like to call them the winds of distraction because essentially its only aim is to knock you off course and in doing so you (as the pilot) loose a little control. Lost control means that you loose some of the authorship of the choice you happen to be making at that moment in time. 

How do I break this down a little further? Well that steering wheel is now tainted by the glove of the hands of the distraction. Take social media for example. You have a paper to write but can't quite focus on getting it done within a week as your time is snatched away from you from the hours spent scrolling through your Twitter feed. Now in an ideal world, you're back from lectures by 5pm and have had dinner and is ready to study from 6pm. But you only really get into your work at 11pm.

Bad turbulence doesn't give warning , people don't walk about saying "Hi my name is ____ I am going to be a distraction in your life." So we have a choice, the decision is ours , choose not to be swayed by things that will knock you off course.

A true pilot isn't fazed by the fog.

See past distraction's momentary delight.

Second, the sway of direction

This is a positive wind. Seek advice from mentors , learn from the experience of those who have trodden on that path before. Take retreat- click here to read an earlier post on 3 of Life's Most Important Getaway's.

This second type of wind should be a source of aid because let's face it, no man knows it all. Many sources talk, finetune through the noise and be wise about which sources you listen to. Take notes where necessary. At times we get pointers and hints which may not be of any use to us in the present but are jewels to our near future. Treasure them for opportunities seldom repeat themselves.

Finally, what keeps my aircraft in motion? God. He is the 'lift' that carries me through this journey we call life. You need a driving force for without which you can not possibly keep upright. Choose your source of fuel wisely.

I'll be posting on confidence in due time and the importance of letting your confidence reside in the Lord. This is key to quick recoveries as I mentioned earlier because God should be our ultimate Rock, not man.

Well this is what I have to say about choices. Remember that you are the pilot , powered by God, don't allow your choices to be tainted by the wrong kind of wind. Let me know what you think about this in the comments section down below!