“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James

One of the wonderful things about being a conscious human being is the ability to choose what we think about. We get to choose what music we listen to. We get to choose what movies we watch. We get to choose which books we read. And we get to choose our response in most any situation. The test of how truly conscious we are is measured by how often we choose to make that choice.

Photo by Steve Woods

Every stimulus has a response, but between those two actions, there is a space called choice. With everything that faces us in our lives, we have the ability to choose how we will respond to it. Though the more healthy responses often require a little more work, the payoff is enormous.

We may look at the current economic recession and want to cower in fear, but we can choose to seek out what is really important beyond money. We can look at global warming and become downright terrified, or we can look for true solutions to climate change. We can look at problems we might be having in our relationships and fear the worst, or we can realize how the hardships will only make our bonds stronger.

In everything that comes our way, we can opt for optimism. Which thoughts we entertain is always our choice.  May we choose to choose happiness.

Steve McAllister  (360 Posts)

Steve McAllister, Modern Hippie Mag's resident Lifestyle Guru, describes himself as a Renaissance Man. An author, filmmaker, songwriter, and perpetual artistic experimenter, he has recently re-released his second book The Rucksack Letters into paperback to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the journey. His latest book, a comical foray into philosophical science fiction, is How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. His latest artistic project is The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path. .