Making Successful Choices
February 18th, 2010 by Reeta Luthra
Making successful choices is part of the mechanism that helps us to deal with stress and the effects of stress.
When we distort success in our minds, we can come to think of it as something that happens to special people. It becomes something we might achieve one day (if we’re lucky), but until that day comes, we’ve got to continue being our ordinary selves.
Personal Development of Success
It’s important to remember that success is not an end result. Much like happiness, it’s a process and it occurs through the choices we make. Because we build it in this way, it’s part of our personal development.
Success and failure have a relationship with each other. Without one, you wouldn’t have the other.
Success is not an “all-at-once-amazing-mindblowing-results” thing. It comes one decision at a time – and also from the things we learn from each decision. It comes with every cut you fail to carve into your arm. With every angry word you fail to throw at someone.
Do we fight? Do we run? What else can we do instead?
Make a certain choice, you get success and failure.
Make another choice and you get success and failure too. Perhaps it’s not the success you wanted, but it’s the one you chose.
A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma
When we feel stuck and unable to shift into a new way of being, we feel like we have no choice.
In reality, it’s amazing how many choices we get to make every day.
I tried counting my choices once. It was impossible. There were just too many. Right through from the mundane to the serious.
There are even choices within the consequences of your choices. The problem is not the number of choices we have.
The problem is the inability to SEE or MAKE the type of successful choice that gets us what we want.
If you are stuck on a path or in a situation that isn’t doing you much good, look at the choices you are making and the inertness, apathy and fear that is leading you into making these decisions.
What can you do – or what help do you need – to change the behavioural and thought patterns that keep you successfully making unhappy choices?
Success belongs to you and you’re already experiencing it through the choices you make.
How do you experience success?
Please Help Me to Help You: Take this survey & tell me what brings you to this site. That way I can give you more of the things you want.
To find out about working with me please click here and let's start giving your health, well-being, ambitions and happiness the conditions they need to flourish!
If you liked this, you'll also enjoy:
- How to Make Better Decisions
- Change One Small Habit
- Problems Are Stages In Personal Development
- Choices and the Funnels of Life
- 3 Personal Development Questions That Will Change Your Life
13 Responses to “Making Successful Choices”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
-
Interesting post from @ReetaLuthra :Making Successful Choices http://bit.ly/cXGtKX
-
Making Successful Choices That Support Your Personal Development … http://bit.ly/aY0TqZ
-
RT @ReetaLuthra: Making Successful Choices http://bit.ly/cXGtKX – goes well with my pepper grinder post!
-
Daily inspiration: Making Successful Choices by @reetaluthra ~ http://bit.ly/cn0gzQ
-
[...] new people who inspire me. One of those new people is Reeta Luthra. Yesterday, she wrote about Successful Choices when I was writing this: Frequent career moves, especially in this economy, can damage your resume. [...]
Add Your Comment
Get Updates
Newsletter!
Don't miss the Stress Notes newsletter!
Your free bulletin with hints, tips and news for a healthier, less stressful life.
Stay Informed
Subscribe to the RSS site feed and receive new articles as they are published. Subscribe by RSS feedreader or by email.
Great article, Reeta. You are absolutely right when about making the right choices and will consequently result in success or failure for you. There’s no right formula in making the right choices. Just try to weigh the pros and cons; do the benefits outweigh the bad? If it does, then you’d probably made the right choice. Conversely, if the negative outweighs the bad, then think twice. Follow what your intuition tells you; this rarely fails you.
Linda Davis´s last blog ..Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-02-14
Hi Linda – Yes, measuring a response is a great way to evaluate where a choice fits in to your life.
It’s got me thinking about those choices that are made so quickly that there’s no time for weighing pros and cons. I’d love to know your thoughts on turning around decisions made on impulse or habit.
Thanks for dropping by Linda and hope to see you again.
Hi Reeta,
I make a choice. I succeed. I feel good.
I make a different choice. I fail. I feel bad.
OR
I make any choice. I feel good.
Surely we can choose to feel good irrespective of our choices. Isn’t it what we associate failure to mean?
Why does failure have to feel bad?
Failure can be the fast-track to success;
Failure teaches patience;
Failure stimulates creativity;
Failure honours humility;
Failure reveals my whole-self;
Failure contains the ego;
Failure is the sweetener of success.
To fail is to succeed.
Best to you, Robin
Robin Dickinson´s last blog ..Where the greatest opportunities are on-line
Nicely put Robin… I’d add that failure does those things when you are able to be open to recognising and acting upon the potential within it.
It’s particularly hard to ACT on failure as feedback when you’re depressed or at some other low. Which is why it’s useful to start practising the success habit when you’re strong (or during the stronger moments if you’re already low), so it can carry you through the bad times without that intense emotional battering.
Hi Reeta, your comments on my blog post made me realize that we must have been thinking much alike today. I think making successful choices is critical when you make a career move. I agree with Robin that failure isn’t something to be feared but repetitive bad career moves or even life moves start affecting your options (future choices). You all give me lots to ponder.
Julie Walraven | Resume Services´s last blog ..I Need Another Pepper Grinder! Or do I?
That’s an important distinction, Reeta.
I would add that we who are strong have a responsibility to guide and signpost failure’s positive power to those experiencing a tough season.
They may not be able to hear or accept it at the time, but later they will remember your wise counsel. It will lead them ever closer to applying the wisdon in their own life.
Shine on, Robin
Robin Dickinson´s last blog ..Where the greatest opportunities are on-line
‘Success is not an “all-at-once-amazing-mind-blowing-results” thing’ — I believe it’s the multiple process that got us where we are today. We can’t really decide which is the true failing point for it may be what’s needed to bring us to a greater success we ever imagined.
To respect each phase in life, have the courage to get back up is the successful choice we shall always have. For the same reason, I’m glad to say I have yet gave up blogging. 
Nice meeting you Reeta. Have found your site from your comment at Chris’s article earlier.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Ching Ya´s last blog ..7 Features to Brand, Market, Manage with MarketMe Tweet
@Julie Walraven – Yes, when that happens, that “repetitive” chain needs to be broken because it indicates that there’s some key Personal Development opportunity that is being ignored.
@Robin Dickinson – That’s what I always tell myself when someone (seemingly) ignores my wise words
@Ching Ya – “have the courage to get back up is the successful choice we shall always have” – I love this. This should be a phrase that everyone keeps in the back of their minds always.
Thank you for visiting and hope to see you here again soon!