On The World Race, it is easy to fall into thinking that we have no choices. The people we spend our time with are mostly determined for us. Majority of the time we have is spent doing things that are decided for us in places that are chosen for us. Due to all of this, we can feel as though we do not have any freedom and our life is happening to us.
For almost eight months now, I have been continually learning the lesson that each and every day I do have a choice. I get to choose my outlook on that day. I get to choose my attitude. I get to choose how I am going to react to anything that comes my way. I get to choose if I’m going to give 100% or just coast through the day. All of these choices ultimately determine how each day will be for me. I have learned that these choices are, in fact, the most important ones.
This week I learned about two principles that reminded me of the choices and freedom that I will always have in any situation and how those choices can impact my life.
First, I learned about something called System Thinking. There are two main ways in which our brains operate. The first is System 1 thinking which is a reactive process driven by emotion in which we subconsciously and automatically make decisions without giving them much thought. The second is System 2 thinking in which we fully engage in the situation and take time to make deliberate, thought out decisions while taking control of our emotions so they don’t interfere with our decision making.
Next, I learned about a tool called the Freedom and Victim circles. These circles help us to see our perspectives more clearly and determine if we are living to the fullest. When someone is operating from in the victim circle, they feel as though everything is happening to them and they have no control. Hence the name, they feel like a victim to their own life. On the other hand, when someone is living in the freedom circle, they actively look for choices they can make and focus on the things they can control in their life. They do what they can to live their lives as they want it.
Immediately, I realized these two principles go hand in hand.
I began to comprehend that System 1 thinking is a passive mindset which can easily lead to living in the victim circle. I came to understand that if I spend majority of my time in System 1 thinking it will lead me to feeling like my life is happening to me, in the victim circle, rather than that I am living it, in the freedom circle. I realized I was in danger of falling into this mindset.
Thankfully, I learned another principle that taught me how to combat this. I learned that there are three things we can always control: who we trust, our attitude and perspective, and our choices.
This is what made everything else I had learned make sense. I understood that by actively holding on to these things that we can control, we will operate in System 2 thinking and we will live from the freedom circle.
In just this week, understanding this has changed my outlook on my life. I now look at what I can control, not what is out of my control. I realize and appreciate all of the choices I can make and I take the time to deliberately decide these choices. I have made my life my own because I understand the freedom I have and how to apply it.
