Powerfully Choose

Toward the end of my employment at a television network years ago, I would whine to my then-roommate Matt Beams as I was about to go to sleep, “Ugghhhh. I have to get up for work tomorrow.”

“You don’t HAVE to do anything,” he would always remind me.

“YES I DO!” I inevitably would whine right back at him.

I didn’t HAVE to though. I could have called out sick. Or taken a personal day. Eventually, I would run out of time off. I could not go in anyway. They would either deduct my pay or, eventually, fire me. Still, I didn’t have to.

Every day, even when I was tired, even when I thought I didn’t want to, I would reshift my mindset: I choose to go to work today. I want to save my vacation time, I get paid well, I enjoy my co-workers, I love working in children’s television.

Eventually, I chose not to work at that television network. I chose to work for myself.

Later, I chose to go back to being an employee. Every day I choose to work for a national non-profit.

As I think about the things I want to accomplish this year, and today, I am practicing powerfully choosing. Choosing to lift weights every other day, choosing to wake-up at 7:00 am, choosing to Press Publish here every day. I try to take no decision for granted.

This effects my personal decisions and the ways I interact with the world.

What did you choose today?