Possibilities, Choice and the discomfort of change
‘Possibility.’ The word elicits excitement for many people. It could be that you are at a crossroads in Life and see the multitude of options that lay out before you! The adventure of new undertakings, new learnings and discoveries to be had! It also builds a feeling of empowerment; that YOU are about to make a Choice, because YOU want to! YOU hold the full power to choose! YOU have the absolute authority of what is Possible in YOUR Life and what is not!
Possibilities and Choice. They can be exhilarating!
So now that we are taking the step, the jump, the leap of faith into our Possibilities….what is this turning feeling in our gut? Or worse: why and how did we just talk ourselves out of our Choice, and return to exactly where we just were?!?
What happened?!?
Change. Plain and simple old fear of change. As strong as the wonder and electric charge of Possibilities and Power of Choice are, the Fear of Change can often trump our hand. Send us scurrying back to our little boxes, and then work on our psyches to keep us from daring to poke our noses out again. And it isn’t always a Life changing matter. It can spread and infect even the most mundane choices we face.
I take breakfast for example. Around here I usually get breakfast ready for the family as they hustle through their mornings to get on out the door. But I seem to have gotten a bit stuck. I have settled on about 4 different breakfasts (oatmeal – 2 variations; cold cereal –again, with a variation or two; waffles/pancakes; eggs/toasted bread of some sort). I REALLY want to have a LOT of variety and surprises. Continental cuisine! Delicate flavors and satisfying texture! Health and fun! Have them skipping out the door laughing and turning somersaults down the driveway!
Yet I give them cereal, oatmeal, eggs, and a cooked batter with syrup.
Am I too busy to come up with something new? Am I not smart enough or resourceful enough to search the web for “Breakfast Foods?” (Rhetorical question. PLEASE don’t answer that!)
No. Often I just physically feel that it would involve too much of me to figure it out and make the changes. And if I allow that sense to control something as minor as the morning meal, where else am I resigning my Power of Choice and stepping back from the enticing precipice of Possibility?