Have-To’s vs. Choice

Many of us have enjoyed some free time this summer. I have a perspective about free time that may surprise you.

What if I told you that unless you are actually in prison, all of your time is free time. You may say, “Wait a minute. If that were true, I’d be on vacation every day!” But if you don’t work or go to school, how can you have a vacation?

You see, you have a choice about everything you do in life. There are no absolute “have-to’s” except death. You don’t have to work. You don’t have to exercise. You don’t have to play sports. You don’t have to study. You don’t have to take care of the children, and you don’t even have to pay taxes.

Now you may say, “Hold on a minute. If I don’t pay taxes, they will put me in jail.” Well, that is true. But you do have a choice. And every choice has consequences, good and bad.

So we think about what will happen if we choose to do something, we think about what will happen if we don’t, and we make a decision. Sometimes we choose a short-term gain only to sacrifice long-term happiness. Or, we may give up something now for a greater gain later.

The point I want to make is that when you return to work or school after your vacation, realize that you choose to be there. When you accept responsibility for your choices and for their consequences, you refuse to be a victim and you give yourself power.

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”  Norman Vincent Peale

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”  Willie Nelson

“Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.”  Soren Kierkegaard

Become accountable for all of your time and all of your choices. You will grow enormously as a person, guaranteed!

About Jim Madrid
The SMCHS athletics teams have been working with Santa Margarita parent Jim Madrid of Advance Sports Technology (“AST”) to develop mental toughness and optimize peak performance. In a career spanning nearly four decades, Madrid has worked to help individuals, corporations and sports organizations achieve success through his “one-team, one-direction,” approach. His experience includes working with global leaders of Fortune 500 organizations like Nordstrom, Lexus, and Oakley. In addition, he is currently the mental conditioning coach for Cal State University Fullerton’s athletic department and for professional NFL, MLS and NBA teams and players. Based on research in the fields of cognitive and positive psychology, AST is designed to build the athlete’s understanding of how their minds work and thereby helping them to achieve academic and athletic success. Concepts include setting and achieving goals, strengthening confidence and thinking in ways that create success. To read more, click here.