The greatest gift you were ever given

The greatest gift I was ever given..... This brings up so many options. For the younger child it might be a bike, a doll, or a pet.  As we grow older it might be having a child, a spouse, a friend, a job, a house any of a number of things.  I contend that we are really overlooking what our greatest gift ever was, and we have turned it over to “Conscious Auto Pilot”.

The greatest gift anyone who has walked the planet is, the ability to choose. We have been given the right to choose in our minds to be happy, sad, excited, scared, fearful or most anything we want.  What we think is a choice.  No one is able to make that choice for us.  There are long explanations for it but I will share this one. Our brains are “Cognitive Misers”.  With all the millions of data points along the way our brain separates over and over all of the data and highlights some and ignores others. For over 10 years I drove from California to Utah on a weekly basis.  I was mentally exhausted the first few times.  After a short time it became less that way, as my brain did not have to interpret all of the data over and over.  It recognized certain roads, rocks, building, signs and other points of interest.  In a fairly quick fashion I could recall where most every land mark was and what to expect next.  That drive became something I did, but not really something I experienced each time as I did not have to think about what was going on.

In similar fashion we make choices on “Conscious Auto Pilot” all of the time.  This is a protective feature in our brains, but unwatched this can start to control what we think and how we react to even the smallest thing. Without paying attention so many things we do in life get turned over to auto pilot.  Do we get angry at the smallest thing, yet as we look at that one moment, there really isn’t a reason to be upset?  Are we ok with one person doing something wild, and get completely out of sorts if “that person” does “that thing” to me? 

The truly self aware human MUST look at themselves and question from time to time, and say, am I choosing my response or have I turned it over to habit.  

If I want to be great, it always starts with the decision to be such.  If I want to be intentional about what I do, it is a series of small decisions that line up with the bigger decision. Our awakening to the greatest gift ever can truly change who we are and what we become.  

Do I recognize that I must choose to be angry? Have I really chosen to be sad, or happy or excited and motivated?  Choosing can be painful, it carries responsibility.  If I chose this, and it doesn’t work, I AM TO BLAME because I chose it.  Do I feel comfortable accepting the failure? Things fail all of the time.  Failing happens, it isn’t what happens when our idea fails that defines us, it is what WE Do after the fail. If I fail, what do I choose to do? Do I choose to try again? Do I choose to give up? The easiest thing we can do is nothing, and that is sometimes the most costly.  

I would rather fail knowing that I gave everything for something amazing,  than win nothing on the couch having never tried.

We should also recognize that we cannot take that gift from anyone else. We were all given the same gift of choice, and maddening as it may be, I cannot take that from anyone. They may hurt me, they may help me, but that is on them. I can only control myself. I can try to convince or plead to help understand my point of view. I must honor the decision making process of everyone else around me and accept they just might not want to do what I think is the best. If I chose to try and convince another it should be through, patience, kindness, long suffering and meekness. Any attempts to circumvent these methods are short term. In these forceful moments, once the pressure to do as I ask is removed, most everyone will go back to what they think and choose to do. To have true change, the person must want to change, and true change happens internally first, then shows outward. People, can change and do everyday, but long lasting permanent change only comes from within.

This is a clarion call to arise and choose. The price for your ability to choose and decide was dear and costly, but we have it.  Turn off the “Cognitive Miser” and aim towards something. Aim to use your ability to choose to the best of your abilities. 

When we decide to be accountable to ourselves for the stewardship of choice, we can pull ourselves from anything. We may not climb the tallest mountain, but we may find ourselves along the journey.  Doors are opened, opportunities given and advancements come when others see us embrace what we can be, if we only choose to do it.

The choice, quite literally, is yours.  I encourage you to respect the greatest gift you were ever given and make something of it.