I am a fan of the television show Lost. I really don't have time to watch much TV, but this show captures my interest and I have watched it from its inception. The final season will begin in February, and we are anxiously awaiting the big night. To get ready for the premiere, we are watching the episodes from last season.
The Power of Choice
I am not sure I have it all figured out yet, but I am certain that a part of what we are watching on Lost is the power of choice, and the impact those choices have on the lives of the characters. Each episode features a decision point in the life of one of the players, and we see through their eyes the current decision and the history of their life and how it led them to make the decisions that they are making now.
I can't escape very far in the show without thinking about the impact of choices in my own life. I value the ability to choose more than any other freedom. To me it is the only real right we possess.
I find it interesting, that given the freedom to choose, I sometimes, make bad choices, wrong choices and even hurtful choices. I guess this surprises me, because, in the moment of making those choices, I do not feel like I am betraying myself or others. It just seems like I am making an appropriate choice. It is only later, when I experience the actual consequences of the choices, that I can judge their value and impact.
Proving Points
I read somewhere that good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions. I have come to accept this as a half truth. I am aware that these moments of trial and error serve as a great wealth of wisdom, but I don't think that we must make bad decisions in order to learn how to make good ones. I think we are capable of escaping many of the blunders we voluntarily commit.
Sometimes I think we fail to recognize the impact of the good decisions we make. I believe that we learn more from the good decisions we make than we do from our poor choices. The negative ones hurt, so they stand out, but the more we strive to do right, the more capable we are of doing it.
It is easier to make bad choices, because they don't take as much courage or integrity. Simply stated, I don't believe that poor decisions ever produced greatness. It is true that integrity, loyalty, and strength are virtues that are developed through the inner struggles each of us faces, but they are a result of the good decisions we make, and not the bad ones. They are bred by self-discipline.
Free To Choose
Our future is constantly being shaped by the choices we make. The trick is to decide how we will choose, before we are faced with the defining moment. It will not happen by chance. The power to make good choices is attained by deliberate effort.
What choices are you currently struggling with?
How can you develop greater self-discipline?
What are the choices that will lead you to greatness?
We are our greatest selves when we make our best choices. The consequences of our best choices result in an abundant, peaceful and satisfied life. I recognize that this is no easy matter, but nothing meaningful ever is.
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