The Opportunity of Choice | One Step at a Time

I took a seminar once in which
there was an exercise in which
the participants were instructed
on how to break an arrow in the
hollow of their neck.

Quite understandably, there were
some people who were scared about
doing it. Further adding to the
fear, there was even a legal
disclaimer that needed to be
signed before anyone could proceed.

If you didn't sign the disclaimer,
you couldn't do the exercise.

If you signed the disclaimer, you
could still choose not to do the
exercise, but it would be an option.

I was reminded about this when I
was watching a video of Huckabee
with Liz Murray, a woman with an
incredible story that has at a cornerstone
the idea of choice.

She talks about how it might have
been unlikely to be accepted into
Harvard, but she chose to act and
"see what happens."

There is absolutely no chance she
would have been accepted if she
didn't apply. Just like there would
be no arrow experience without a
signed disclaimer.

In either case, opportunities were
expanded by choices made.

I remember being quite fearful myself,
at first. But knew that one choice
did not mean I needed to put the arrow
head to my throat. I knew I would
still have another choice to make,
one that wouldn't exist if I refused
to sign.

At the same time, there was someone
else who was so terrified, she couldn't
even bring herself to signing the
document.

Some might say she was the sane one
(it can sometimes seem insane to go
against what is known). However,
in the end, I chose to break that
arrow using my throat to do it,
learning a thing or two along
the way.

Focused on fear you will likely
limit your possibilities. Focused
on possibilities, you will likely
expand your world.

When faced with something that seems
big and formidable it is easy to lose
sight of the steps along the way.

But when you consider the steps, you
can inch closer to this thing that
seems impossible to obtain when you
think it has to happen in one big leap.
And each step provides another opening
and opportunity and another choice to
be made.

Much of life is built upon what comes
before, and sometimes you just never
know til you know, you know?

Perhaps consider giving yourself a chance
to find out what is possible - one step
(one choice) at a time.