Making Better Choices

"When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels" ~ Anonymous

It's been said that there is no such thing as a good person or a bad person. Well, I'd like to say that I think there are only good people, and that some of those good people make bad choices and lead them off the path of what is good. There is a dynamic way of thinking that will help you in making better choices.

You will always know when you are off the path. Because "good" is your norm, if you choose something that leads you in a direction that is different than what is good, you have an internal monitor - kind of like a GPS device - that tells you that you are off the track. That device inside you is called your conscience and the message your conscience sends when you are off the track is a feeling of discomfort.

We've all made mistakes and bad choices. It's a natural part of our learning process. Our less-than-good feelings (that uncomfortableness I mentioned above) like uneasiness, unhappiness, unsureness - are all red flags that try to get our attention and beg us to be making better choices so we can feel comfortable again. It's nice that each of us has an internal monitor so we don't have to depend on our parents, older adults, our teachers or the police or military to monitor us. We can do it ourselves.

It's not necessary to feel guilty, to punish ourselves, to think we are stupid or foolish. No, all we have to do is see that we are uncomfortable, and resolve to 'right it' as soon as we humanly can in order to forgive ourselves our mistake and get back to comfort quickly. Just because we might have heard "you're bad" when we were children; just because those words created tapes that play repeatedly in our heads, we can put a stop to it by simply saying to ourselves: "Stop. That's not true. I'm good."

The labels "good" and "bad" were thrown at us during our childhood as a form of control. If you were "good," you received parental approval. It was withheld if you behaved "badly." I'd like to think that many of our parents did not know (because their parents did not know) that the world is predominantly good; that each of the individuals in the world were predominantly good; that if "good" was fostered and praised, we would naturally unfold more good choices. Fewer bad choices might have been made if our parents had that perspective.

We have it now. If you can approach your own life and the lives of your children from an "it's all good" perspective, you will grow more love, more peace, more universal good and you will become part of that kernel of individuals who, by their very thoughts, are bringing peace to the middle east. A big part of being an adult lies in correcting the mistakes of our childhood. We learn what wasn't accurate and we put something accurate in its place. This allows us to be individually responsible for our own lives and our own, individual freedom.

You are a magnificent human being. You are here because you have a right to be here, to be alive, to be free, to learn from your mistakes, and to explore new ways of making decisions. If you have a habit in place of categorizing yourself good or bad, that's too small a way to think going forward. Instead, KNOW that you are good, that you are goodness itself intrinsically; know that it is your own goodness that wants to unfold your dreams, to pat you on the back for your accomplishments and your successes. Know that you are entirely capable of making better choices that will unfold more good for you, that will keep you fresh, interested and involved. Your higher self craves this unfoldment for more good and it's already inside you, waiting for you to say "Yes" to it, so get out of your own way and say "Yes!"

"There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy." ~ Some Say Anonymous; Some Say Harry S. Truman

Take Action Now

1. Watch for feelings of inner discomfort this week. It's a sign you are off track.

2. Don't depend on anyone else but YOU to make your choices this week.

3. Try knowing that you are Goodness Itself this week, and if you make a mistake, that very goodness will get you back to feeling comfortable through the choices you make.