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For people that grew up in the eighties that probably has a familiar ring. Is it a quote from Ronald Reagan? No. It’s actually what He-Man said each time he was about to fight for what is right and defeat his evil opponent Skeletor. So...why I am using a somewhat corny saying from a cheesy cartoon? Because it contains an important truth. Here’s another one, everything can be taken from a man but one thing... it is the last of the human freedoms, and that is the ability to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. This statement was given by a man that survived six years in the concentration camps of WW2. He recognized that the Nazis could take away everything from him, but they could not take his ability to choose. How many choices do you think you make in a day? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? You make thousands of choices. We tend to recognize our behavioral choices. What we wear and eat, how we drive, the list goes on. But what about the attitudinal choices you make each day? The perspective that you bring to all that you do? When I was in High School my mom went back to school to get a post graduate degree. One night around three am I got up to get something to drink and I noticed a light on in the kitchen. I went down to investigate. I peaked my head around the corner, and I saw my Mom at the table with books and papers spread out in front of her. I went back to bed. Early the next morning, I asked, “What were you doing last night?“
“Well, sometimes after everyone goes to bed I get up and get some of my studying done” I was immediately struck by this. First, because I LOVE my sleep and secondly, because my Mom almost always had a friendly and pleasant disposition. So, I asked, ”How are you always in such a good mood?!!”
I have NEVER forgotten her answer.
She replied, “Each day when I wake up, I CHOOSE to be in a good mood. Sometimes it takes a while for my emotions to catch up with that decision, but they almost always catch up”. Go Mom! So, here is a simple truth to remind yourself of over and over. “I get to choose”
