Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Choice in "No Choice"

"No choice, Bobian, bo ban huat, 没办法,办不到."

Different words, but they all have the same meaning. The irony is... when you use any of the words above, you have already made a choice - the choice to either give up, or to resign yourself to circumstances.


In order for change to happen, a decision is required. And it's prevalent in us human beings that we don't like change. So to avoid putting ourselves through the awkward continuum of change, we do the easily obvious thing - we don't decide!

Here are some examples that you can likely (very) relate better:
  • You bitch incessantly about your job, but you still find yourself returning to that shithole everyday after many years.
  • You want to try out something new in your life (follow your passion), but you don't proceed because you have too many commitments (installments for home, wife, mistress, kids, pet, car, food, the latest iWhatever...).
     
  • You look on with envy the successful people around you, and lament the good life they have. You probably also think that if you have the same luck as them, you can be as successful too. "If only..."
If you are able to read this post, you and I are lucky people. We are lucky to be born in this day and age, where we have abundant opportunities to succeed, and do whatever we want.

The next time you are tempted to abuse the term "no choice", think about the people who are born in less fortunate societies. I think those are the people who actually stand to have some conviction when they say they have no choice but to resign to their lives.

But you and me?

No way.

Make a choice, bring about the change that you have always desired and dreamed of. 
Don't settle for anything less that you deserve. Given the luxury of choices we have, do yourself justice by living your life the way you want it to be. 


Go get that girl, go get that dream job, go seek your passion, go skydiving, go do stuff like a boss, go bathe with your brother (my friend does that, no really), go get six-pack abs, go fart in a crowded space and own up, go fall deeply in love...


Go live your legend...
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The only exception is when you have an excruciatingly heavy field pack, which would really render you with no choice but to pass it to your maid.



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Random fact of the day:

We are creatures of empathy. If you do not already know, that is how the contagious yawn came about. I'm sure you have been in situations whereby you see a person yawning, and before you know it, you start yawning yourself!

Okay but don't go asking me why do you not sneeze or fart when you see that in your friend. I've been very puzzled by that too.