Mindset: The Power of Making Choices
“We may not choose the situations and the people in our lives, but we can choose how we react.
We get to choose how our minds, and therefore our lives, will go.”
~ Jennie Allen~
I am sure everyone of us at some time has been asked this popular question: If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? Many of us would choose to have the power to fly, to be invisible, to read minds or to be lightening fast. What would you say if I told you that you do have a superpower? Yes, we all have a superpower- the power of making choices! We have the power to make choices, whether you choose to believe this is a superpower or not is up to you. But I am here to tell you that this is a superpower, and you can use it!
When we are faced with making a choice, sometimes we choose what is easy to avoid the hard. We think short term for instant gratification. But what if we were more intentional in our choosing? What if we looked at having a choice as a superpower? What if you start making choices intentionally to create the life you want? Creating the mindset that you can achieve your goals by choosing intentionally is what we would like to create.
When I work with my college volleyball team, I remind them that when they say “yes” to one thing, they are saying “no” to something else. Keep this in mind as we work through a few mindset scenarios.
When we say YES to that soda, we are saying NO to water.
When we choose to hit the snooze button and sleep in, we are saying NO to that morning workout.
When we say YES to those french fries, we are saying NO to a healthier vegetable.
When we choose to scroll mindlessly through social media, we say NO to that walk with our dog or family.
When we say YES to eating out, we say NO to a week’s worth of healthy groceries.
When we choose to watch hours of Netflix, we say NO to reading a personal development book.
When we choose to NOT apply for a particular job, we say NO to being stuck in our current situation.
When we choose to make unnecessary purchases, we say NO to saving money for a dream vacation, new car, or new house.
When we commit to every activity, project, committee that comes our way, we say NO to time with our family.
When we say YES to staying up late, we say NO to needed rest and will struggle the next day.
I think you get the picture, or I hope you are starting to see what I am getting to. We make hundreds of choices every day! Most of the time we make them unconsciously. Just think what you could accomplish if you were more intentional and used your power of CHOICE!
We tell our college athletes daily when they are training for competition to control the controllable and not react to what they cannot control. They make the choice. In the world of volleyball, we cannot control the referee’s calls. We cannot control how the other team acts on the court or how they play. We cannot control the other team’s coach. What we can control/choose is our nutrition, our sleep, our preparation in practice, our strength training, our film study, our energy, our effort. We can choose how we react if we make a bad play or if there is a bad call. We can choose to slow the game down. Choices, we have choices.
As we continue our health journey, remember this- you have a superpower! You have the power to CHOOSE. What you choose can impact you positively or negatively, but you ultimately have the power to choose. When you make choices this week, ask yourself if your choice is helping you reach your personal goals. Ask yourself if your choice is getting you closer to the life you are wanting to live.
Your choices can lead to progress, and that is such a great feeling! Start being intentional in your choices and start living the healthy lifestyle you want!
Jennifer Hefner
Healthy Harrison
Mindset Coach