The figure of 35,000 decisions has been quoted in various psychological publications as a number of choices that we make daily. The number is shocking and overwhelming and seemingly impossible to achieve. How do we manage to ‘cram’ so many decision making processes into our lives? It is possible because most of these decisions are unconscious and automatic, as dictated by our pattern of behavior.
Decisions, decisions, decisions….
The fact that we make only a minority of our decisions may be a blessing as researches show that too many choices make people unhappy, cause pressure, stress and anxiety. Apparently, we are happier when the choice is limited or a selection is made for us.
How to make a choice?
I would be wary of the second option, I strongly believe that people should never delegate the decision over a choice to other people or to robots. After all, our free will and ability to make our own choices are what makes us human. I would argue that we should make our own choices but make them more mindfully aware of their consequences.
Whilst some of the choices that we make daily may seem of various levels of importance, I would argue that even the tiniest choice may have a great impact on our future. Yes, our choices shape our future. The seemingly insignificant decision of whether to eat a carrot or a chocolate éclair may have no importance at the time of making, and the only outcome may seem to be the sensations provided to our palate, but the consequence is much deeper. The choice may impact our sugar levels and our well-being, and even if this one choice may be insignificant (and in fairness, one éclair will not cause us diabetes), but it is the choice that creates our habits. The likelihood is that we will make this choice time in and time out and then it can cause us health problems. Clearly, our decisions shape our bodies too.
The superpower
We always have a choice. Sometimes we have no power over the circumstances that we find ourselves in, but we always have the power to choice of how we react to the situation and what we focus on.
Marcial Wiedler in “Accessing Your Power”, explained that every day we have an opportunity to choose what we think and how we label life and what we choose to believe. It is up to us to label it good or bad, or not at all; she says, “You can choose to believe something will empower you and move forward, or limit you and hold you back.” It is worth keeping it in mind when we make our choices or when we grumble about them. Maybe this is a moment to appreciate that we have these choices.
Louise Hay, in her book “Heal Your Life” beautifully, said: “Whatever I choose to believe becomes true for me. Whatever you choose to believe becomes true for you. These words are very powerful. If we choose our beliefs, we choose who we are and what happens in our lives. This is not just a power. This is the superpower that choice gives us.
