The privilege of choice

   

   The title of my today’s article is an expression recently heard on a BBC radio show. Among other useful and interesting daily things to do, for almost two weeks I restarted to listen to this radio. And definitely, there are some great things to learn over there.

   Coming back to this title, this is something that got my attention, probably because, generally speaking, we don’t see this privilege. Or at least we are not aware of it. We are more tempted to see that when we have to make some choices or take some decisions, everybody else has the power in our life. Society putting a stamp on our decisions because we give that permission. But how about if we could see and implement the situation the other way around? How about taking ownership in our life? We hear so often this term of “ownership” from different employers. But the term could very well be used for all areas of our life and after all, we can’t have one without another. This idea of “ownership” I am very grateful for taking it from one of my former managers.

   And this is not just a simple word. Indeed, when we were children, we depended on from lots of points of view on our parents or other grown-ups. But coming to a certain age when we could consider us mature people, we become more interdependent. Obviously, this involves a lot of work, time, and patience. And also please be aware of the fact that I said “interdependent”, and not “independent”. Stephen Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” explains the difference between “interdependent” and “independent” remarkably well.

   Coming back to “the privilege of choice”, I would say it’s an extraordinary feeling that, implemented in our life as much as possible, will help us see a huge positive impact in everything we do and experience. And of course, this privilege can properly acknowledge just through experience and that ownership I was talking about earlier. But the reward it’s absolutely amazing: a constant self-confidence growing, a mature attitude and a positive state of mind that will be seen in all areas defining us. And yes, I know it’s simple to say and harder to put it into practice.

   But I believe this kind of privilege comes for those who work deep enough with themselves, and those who find the power to raise after every fall, in order to find a marvelous reward.