A Choice. What Is That?
I wish I could sometimes rattle off a profound quote from someone famous, but I can’t think of any right now. I only hear my thoughts that want to get out. As we get older, having lived a good portion of our lives, we become wiser from all the information crammed into our minds. That’s me—a wise old owl. Only I don’t see myself as old.
This is what this post is about – the choices we make and how they affect us. I could see myself as an old bitty getting ready for the scrapyard or not. I chose not to see myself that way, but believe there’s a whole lot of life still yet to live – and the way I want to live it.
WHAT WE CHOOSE TO SEE AND THINK
When I look in the mirror, I don’t see wrinkles or sagging skin (though they’re there); I see my eyes. I look into my eyes and find compassion in my heart for the person I am today, and praise myself for never giving up and always working on myself to better my life.
This is not playing a game with myself and living in a fantasy world where there’s really a pot of gold at the end of rainbows that we just haven’t found yet. No, it’s me being truthful and honest with myself. And sure, pain surfaces because the choices I’ve made in the pain led me here – to an unsettled life that feels like I’m on a train platform waiting for the right train to arrive to take me where I’m supposed to go.
For years, I beat myself up over the choices I had made. I also played the blame game, blaming whoever or whatever I could to justify how I felt about myself. Then I did the next thing we do to avoid the present circumstances: live in the future with the equation: when I’m doing this + I’ll have that, then = I’ll be happy. I just came up with the equation idea now, but that’s been my mindset for a while.
Does it help to hush away the past and visualize a better future? To some degree, but it can’t be the go-to for having a good life. Like my husband always says, “We need balance in life with everything.” He’s a wise old owl, too.
Right now, in this moment, the present moment, we all have a choice. We could be whatever we want to be. We could decide how we want to feel. I truly do have a choice. We all do. So, let’s start believing that we do.
PEACE OF MIND
Somewhere along the road in our lives, whether it was our upbringing, experiences, whatever, some of us learned that outside force predicts our lives, and it is what it is. No, it’s not! I have to keep reminding myself of that, and you ought to, too, if you want to live with peace of mind. That’s what I want.
I want to go to bed at night knowing that what I did during the day was exactly what I wanted to do. I want to fall asleep feeling content and peaceful, knowing my life is in my hands, not in anyone’s or anything’s.
We can achieve this just by making choices that align with who we are and what we want. Falling prey to old habits and messages that instill guilt and obligation, as if they were as necessary as the air we breathe, is something we must challenge to live our best lives and have the peace of mind we deserve.
OVERWRITE THE PROGRAM
Anytime a thought comes to you that makes you feel guilty, question its source. Ask, why am I feeling this way? What is causing these thoughts? You’ll be surprised by what surfaces.
Stay with this and constantly check in with your thoughts to make sure you are doing the choosing and not some outdated program that needs to be replaced with a new, better one.
If we think of our minds like a computer, we can overwrite the programming that made us believe we don’t have a choice in our lives. We need to overwrite it to function at optimal levels. Just like our computers get new operating systems to work with the latest technology and software, we need new operating systems to overwrite the programming that is keeping us stuck or living a life we didn’t choose.
CHOOSE BETTER
Before you make a decision, take a moment to think it over. So often, the sensitive lot of us make decisions based on what others want rather than staying in tune with our desires.
I used to be ashamed of being sensitive, but now I know that being a feeling person has given me the ability to live life to the fullest and not take anything for granted. I’m also an intelligent person who can truly see people. That, to me, is a gift not afforded to many. If you have it, cherish it.
Today, I chose to see myself in a bright light. I am grateful for who I am, and you should feel the same about yourself.
It doesn’t matter if we made mistakes in the past. We are not the same person as we were one day ago. A new day brings new choices and a brand-new set of hours to make the difference in how we show up for ourselves and others. Choose better. Listen to that voice inside that is often overlooked and quieted by what we think we “ought” to do.
What we ought to do is create the best life for ourselves and show up for others as our authentic selves.
TO SUM UP
The choices we make are the deciding factor between a happy, satisfied life and one where you’re always second-guessing your decisions. When we choose based on what we truly want, everything seems better. Think about a time you made a choice and how it made you feel. If you felt good about it, then it was the right choice; if not, then you were choosing based on someone else’s wishes. We know the difference. Put guilt and obligation aside before you make a choice, and you will choose what’s right for you.
Thank you for reading this. If this resonates with you, I’d love to read your thoughts.
To choices,
Francesca 
Written by a human for humans.
© 2026 FrancescaME | All rights reserved.
NO AI TRAINING: Any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
*DISCLAIMER: FrancescaME is not a therapist or doctor, and any information shared is from personal experience, learning, and research.
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