The Decision is Ours

We are all tasked at the dawn of our day.
No, really. It’s the truth.
From the moment we open our eyes is a list of decisions that go on until we close them again. Some of the decisions are simple.
What should I eat?
What should I drink?
What should I watch?
It is estimated that we make approximately 35,000 conscious decisions throughout each day. It is said that a child only makes 3,000 decisions in the same time frame. I suppose this is why we refer to our childhood as simpler times.

In fairness, I do not know much about this study. I don’t know where they get the statistics from. I’m not sure how people conduct studies like this but I’ve read about this before.

There are times when we think we cannot move forward. There are days when we think that no matter how hard we try, we just can’t step away from ourselves. There are times we want to step out of this entire life, just for a minute and catch our breath, but unfortunately the pressures of life do not allow for us to stand up and call “Time-Out!”

There are times when we want to get away from the nonsense or the madness of drama that plagues our daily living.
There are days when there is literally too much on our plate. We find ourselves doubtful. We find ourselves lost and unsure. There are days when we literally feel so hopeless and helpless that we truly believe we cannot and will not take another step.

There are times when we doubt our ability. There are times when we are certain that no matter what we try or how, nothing is ever going to work out the way we hoped or planned. It would be inaccurate to say that all things can and will work themselves out. There are times when damage is irreparable. There are times when chapters close and new ones begin. More importantly, there are times when we need to move forward, but yet we are stuck in our misperceptions of who we are and what we see. Sometimes, we decide to remain stuck instead of free ourselves.

Each day, we are all tasked with a list of decisions to make. Whether there is truth to the study above or not, I don’t know, but 35,000 decisions sounds like the brain does a lot of work.
And again, some of the decisions we make are simple. Which lane do we drive in? Which parking space do we choose? Where will we sit? Which stall do we go to at the restroom at work? Or even simpler is the decision to check and see what time it is.

These choices are all basic decisions that our mind makes on a daily basis.
What should I do next? Where should I start?
What music should I listen to?
If I were to tell someone that you are going to do at least 35,000 things today, most people would look at me as if I’m crazy — and this might be the case, but crazy or not, the answer is true.

I was reminded of something that I have not heard in a very long time.
“A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.”
What an interesting thought . . .

We make both conscious and subconscious choices throughout the day. This is unavoidable. The conscious are the obvious and simple ones and the subconscious based on our subconscious mind and our personal biases caused and created by the judgement machine.

Even if we wanted to abstain from making a decision; even if we decided not to choose, this is still a choice.
There are 3,600 seconds in one hour. Researchers say that we make somewhere around 2,000 decisions in an hour, which is amazing because out of 3,600 seconds, 2,000 have been occupied with making simple plans. This is something we do on an hourly basis. 

Keep in mind, we are bound to make mistakes. We are going to make wrong turns. We are going to choose to invest in people, places and things. Make no mistake, this happens on a daily basis. Some of our investments will turn out well and others will turn out poorly but more often than not, we are going to live through whatever we choose. It is important to remember that we make mistakes. It is even more important to realize that mistakes do not make us.

The body is truly an amazing thing. We blink every four seconds, which means we blink 15 times in a minute or 900 times in an hour. Our heart beats 76 beats per minute, which means our heart beats somewhere around 100,000 times each day.

All of these things are done without our input, yet from the very beginning of our day, we are tasked with a list of achievements that will be made by us on an ongoing basis. No matter how we see ourselves and regardless of whether the stock market is doing well or if the 6:15 bus is on time, within one hour’s time, we have already accomplished over 7,000 achievements. This is our body in motion.

Life is a continuous string of choices. There is no exception to this rule. There is no getting away from this.
The mind is always working. We all know this. Decisions will be made. Mistakes will be made too. However, through it all, we live and we learn, we grow and from now until our final moment, we will be achieving more than 7,000 accomplishments an hour for the rest of our lives.

That’s huge.

To think that we cannot “Do” or “Be” or “Become” is more often a decision. To think that we cannot improve or advance is a decision.
To wake up and stand up when the alarm goes off and to get out of bed is a decision. But there’s more. There’s more because more than a decision; this is also an accomplishment.
Statistically, we achieve far more than we fail in one day’s time, yet we focus on our failures more than we focus on our achievements. We pay more attention to our inability than we do to our abilities to stand up and be the incredible beings that we already are.

There are many of us that live with social intimidation and anxiety. These are things that date back to some of our earliest memories. There are some of us that live with insecurities and fears. Some of us hold on to secret pains and there are those that torture themselves with the internal narrative that brutalizes us with self-judgement and doubt.
There are choices we make on this behalf, which inevitably determine the course of our day. This is a decision. This means until we decide to navigate differently and negotiate the obstacles we face, we are destined to decide the same thing and repeat the same consequences again and again, until death do us part.

Why is it easier for people to list their weaknesses and harder to list their strengths?
Why do most people quit when tasked with the struggles that come with everyday life?
Why is it that somehow, we sink into ourselves or we find ourselves inept or incapable? Why would we think this way when mechanically speaking, the human body is one of the most miraculous things ever created in this world?

We are all born capable. Somehow though and for whatever the reason is, there are times when we believe otherwise.
Well, I’m here to tell you the truth about this.
The truth is we are all capable. We are all born with and have exactly what we need to adapt, overcome, achieve and be successful. Unfortunately, we lose sight of this. But don’t worry. The sun always comes out again. And we can enjoy this if we choose to.

The decision is ours.