The Freedom of Choice

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” Dr. Wayne Dyer

This is a profound statement by Dr. Dyer about our freedom of choice. If brings to mind another piece of wisdom that I believe goes back to Buddha. It says, “pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice.” 

 This issue of personal choice is extremely important. I had also referred to it in a previous post when I discussed another piece of wisdom from Dr. Dyer. Because of its importance I would like to include a figure from my book THE LEADERSHIP ZONE which is an interpretation of the concept of personal responsibility from Stephan Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

In addition to misery and suffering there are many other human states that we think of as inevitable and not in our control, but actually they are a choice. The reason for this confusion is that we usually mix up the definitions and meanings of words. Our use of language is the culprit.

As I explain in THE LEADERSHIP ZONE, the misuse of language is the number one barrier that stands between us and our full potential. In some respects language which initially was developed as a means of communication, has gone way beyond its original purpose. In addition to conveying a message or information about a particular state, it now also controls the state and our behaviour towards it.

Learning the proper use of language or more precisely mastering the language of excellence and success is essential for people who wish to maximize their potential. That is also a choice which comes under our personal responsibility. If we don’t master the correct language we must be ready to pay the price.