hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn April 2014 | Page 36

Choices

Here is a thought. You have a choice in
everything you think, say and do.

Now I know that might be
a difficult concept to grasp
straight away but it really is
true. You don’t really have a
choice in what other people do

or say to you or how the events
of your life unfold around
you but in these cases you
can choose how to react. The
choices you have in front of
you may sometimes be difficult
– so difficult in fact that it may
seem you have no choice at all.
Sometimes the choice here is
to think differently, accept what
is happening and choose to
feel different – maybe calmer
or simply more accepting.
For example, the client who
shared with the group that
a woman at work she had to
meet with every week infuriated
her. EVERY week it happened
and she found herself in front
of the sweetie machine or
going home and over-eating
after THAT meeting. When
it was pointed out that after
two years with this difficult
relationship she was choosing
to be infuriated and to eat
her anger away she became
quite indignant. “Why would I
choose to be infuriated?” she
asked. Why indeed? Could she
36

not choose instead to accept
that this individual over whom
she has no control might
always behave in a difficult
way and that her choosing to
be angry about it and eating
would make no difference to
that situation? In a second
her expression changed and
her body relaxed. Yes, she
acknowledged by expecting her
to be difficult each week, she
undoubtedly was and she got
her excuse to eat. In fact she
prepared for it sometimes and
had her food ready in her bag
for after the meeting. Choosing
to think differently created
a completely different set of
feelings. New choices for her
to try!
And when, for example, your
teenage children drive you to
distraction with their messy
bedrooms, you can choose to
close the door and leave them
in their mess. You can choose
to accept that is how they are
living right now and that by
running after them you may
not teach them the life lessons

you want to teach them and
that in the process you become
the “victim” in the “who is
keeping the house tidy?” game.
When you are the victim you
can justify your over-eating to
help make you feel “better”.
There are many, many choices
in this simple scenario. All you
might want to do is make a
different choice and see what
happens.
Look at the instances where
you regularly over-eat. Once
you recognise the choices you
can make, your life can take
a different path. You have
the power of choice then in
everything that comes in front
of you. Just look this week
and see what new choices you
could make that would make
your life more satisfying. You
have the power to choose how
long a lapse lasts, you have the
power to choose what goes in
your mouth right now and you
have the power to choose to be
the person you really want to
be. Choices are incredible and
yours.

MANDY
LOST
IN JUST

7 MONTHS

ETON,
MANDY APPL RE
LANCASHI

BEFORE

Dee McKenna, High Wycombe
01494 885 459 lighterlife.com/deemckenna

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