Have the power to change the trajectory of our lives and the lives of others.
Have the power to influence our future and the future of others.
Have the power to affect our lives and the people who are around and connected to us.
OUR CHOICES HAVE TREMENDOUS POWER!
At the core of our choices lies the satisfaction of our desires. The influencing factor of our choices is to satisfy a desire we are experiencing in that moment. For example, when you are hungry you choose to eat to satisfy your hunger. When you sleep late you are choosing to satisfy the desire of rest. When you hang out with your friends you are choosing to satisfy the desire of companionship.
People are often unaware of the CONSEQUENCES of our choices. Consequences are the outcomes of the choices we make which could either yield a positive or a negative result. While our choices may produce what we feel is a positive outcome for ourselves may conversely harm another. Therefore our choices must be made with careful consideration.
Negative Examples:
When you are stressed, you feel confident that choosing to eat candy will satisfy your sweet tooth and take the stress away; in other words, make you feel better. This consumption of candy may satisfy your sweet tooth and take away your stress in the present moment, but in the future this consumption of candy can lead to lifelong health issues such as diabetes.
When you are driving on the freeway you choose to drive above the speed limit because you want to get to your destination faster. Your desire of getting somewhere faster may be satisfied but all of the people you passed or may have cut off, were negatively affected. Their sense of safety and peace has now been taken from them because you decided to break the law, which was set in place to protect the people of that community.
You see someone that has something you desire, so you decide to steal it from them. Stealing from them may satisfy your desire at that present moment, but after, you are caught by the police and arrested. You now face a number of years in prison and the victims now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from the incident. These people will forever be lifelong victims. They will experience fear when others are around. They will no longer trust anyone they come in contact with. Their lives are never going to be the same. Not only do the victims suffer, but now your loved ones suffer. Aside from the shame you have brought on your family, the only way they can see you is to travel long hours. Your family is left with spending their hard-earned money to financially support you in prison because of your poor choice.
Positive Examples:
You wake up one morning feeling blessed and you decide to stop at the coffee shop before work. While walking into the coffee shop, you hold the door open for someone and smile at them. The person looks up, eyes wide open in amazement and smiles back. What you didn't know is that person has not slept in weeks, and they are suffering from depression. As the sun rose that morning, they realized they were still stuck in a life they feel is not worth living and contemplated ending their life. But you choosing to smile at them caused them to have a change of heart and their whole trajectory of life changed.
You are in prison serving a sentence for DUI murder. Every morning you wake up you wonder why God saved you and not the victim. While attempting to take your own life you fail and question why God still wouldn’t take you. As you lie on the floor, still catching your breath from the sheet tied around your neck, you realize that God wants to use you to represent change, hope and possibilities. In that moment you make a promise to God and yourself that you will live every single day for everyone else. You spend the next 8 years becoming an avid learner. You use your story to help motivate others to desire change. You actively participte in self-help groups and serve as the Chairman of AA. You are mindful with every choice that you make and are always eager to lend a helping hand. This new mindset allows you to be the change you desire to see in the world.
Those are just a few examples of the potential consequences of the impact of our choices. Most people are unaware that the result of every bad choice, creates victims. People do not choose to be victims and yet they are negatively impacted through the selfishness and negligence of other people’s choices. Their lives will be forever changed.
By mapping out the consequences of every choice, we become more conscious of our choices and are more prone to choose what will better benefit those around us and ourselves. By making a choice that puts others above our own desires, we can create a positive ripple effect in our community. It is sad to see that so many people are victimized because people choose to only think about themselves. That mentality needs to change. It simply starts by being aware of the impact of our choices!
