Gossiping, complaining, worrying, blaming, people pleasing, giving unwanted advice to others, controlling and fixing others, negative thinking, putting people down.  Could these habits also be addictions for some people?  Could some of these habits cause addictions? In my experience, all people who consider themselves “addicted”, or possessing any form of compulsive disorder, are also addicted to one or many of these unwanted “habits”.  Something to think about. 

The Power of Choice & Habit Mastery programs are really all about creating an atmosphere of acceptance, where people support themselves and others in developing the mental muscle of habitually choosing their thoughts, words, and interpretations, as well as mastering the habit of honoring their words, commitments and promises.

The “Power of Choice” perspective is just that – a perspective, a viewpoint.  In fact, although I own the Canadian trademark, I’m certainly not the first person to use the words “Power of Choice”.  When I say “Power of Choice”, I am talking about my own interpretation of the meaning of these words which includes this;

It is our thought and behavioral habits (both conscious and unconscious) that are the cause of our unwanted and wanted experiences in life.  Our “choice muscles” have been severely weakened over the years. We’ve unknowingly given away our power so often that “feeling better” has become our number one obsession.  We’ve become numb and blind to who we really are and what we “truly want”.  We’ve lost touch with our authentic selves.  We live to survive and hold on to anything that gives us instant gratification. Little by little, we engage in our unwanted habits more and more.  Eventually we eventually become addicted to them, knowingly or not.  Kind of like the frog in the pot story that goes something like this.

If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will frantically try to jump out. But if you place it gently in a pot of room temperature water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.

Fortunately for us, unlike the frog, we are self-aware.  Our past choices were a logical outcome of the things we experienced in the past, based on our consciousness at that time.  But now we can choose something different.  Rather than continuing to give power to past events, circumstances or other people as being the “cause” of our problems or success in life, the “Power of Choice” perspective is the choice to put responsibility and power squarely in our hands. I believe it’s how we apply these choices that shapes and determines our future.

“We shape our lives.  We shape ourselves.  The choices we make our ultimately our own responsibility”  Eleanor Rosevelt.

My interpretation of the Power of Choice rests on the belief that each of us has the capacity to reclaim our power – to think, believe, feel, be, have and do - to virtually create anything we want in life, whether it's breaking free of unwanted habits or addictions, overcoming personal challenges, or accomplishing something that others say is “impossible.” If one person can accomplish it, it’s available to all of us. And if one person did it, so can WE.

“Your time is limited. So don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.  Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions, drown out your own inner voice.  And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.  They somehow already know what you want to become.  Everything else is secondary.”  Steve Jobs 1955-2011.