You Always Have a Choice

Human beings have a truly marvelous amount of potential.

The fact is that it really all comes down to the choices we make.

We are all overflowing with potential, yet some achieve amazing things and others struggle to keep their heads above water. What makes the difference? I believe that it is our choices. Some of those choices are large, full-scale life decisions, while others are small choices that simply pave the pathway to our success or failure. We make choices about career, marriage, family, homes, finances—and those are the big ones. Those are the ones that we already know will alter the course of our life one way or another. It is important to approach those choices with a solid plan for making good decisions.

But let’s think for a moment about the small choices—the things that don’t necessarily seem in the moment like they are going to have a lasting impact on your life. Things like choosing kindness or anger in the middle of a disagreement, or choosing to go to the gym rather than sleep in on a Saturday. Things like waking up in the morning with a deliberate intent to choose a positive attitude rather than a discouraged one, or choosing to invest some time with your kids rather than answering one more email; these small choices are constantly presented to us.

Choices are endless; you make them every moment of every day. The key is to remember that you do have a choice. You always have an option for how you will handle yourself in any given situation. And here’s a fact that can make a huge difference as you make choices in your life: successful, happy people do not base their choices on their emotions. They base their choices on what is best for the fulfillment of their potential.

So what will we choose today, tomorrow? My hope is that today we will choose to think about our choices.

Author: Skip Ross

Skip Ross was the owner, founder, and director of Circle A Ranch. He and his wife Susan dedicated their lives to making a difference in the development of teens through their ministry and spent the over 40 years giving their summers to the work of Circle A.

Skip authored the books Say Yes to Your Potential and Daily Disciplines, and created the Dynamic Living Seminar and the Thrive Study Series. He traveled the globe teaching the principles of attitude development and leadership to millions of people for over 50 years. He also recorded numerous audio and video teachings that have been distributed around the world with the help of Network 21 and podcasts.

He was a successful business executive, recording artist, and motivational speaker. He was founder and president of the OFIDA Project, on the Board of Directors of the Fred L. Hansen Corp., a Crown IBO with Amway, and a graduate of Westmont College and Fuller Theological Seminary. He worked with many different ministry organizations over the years but has most recently been working with the Equip Organization, founded by John Maxwell, to produce highly effective Christian leaders around the world.

Skip Ross went home to be with Jesus on June 13th, 2021, at the age of 82.

This excerpt is taken from Skip’s book, Daily Disciplines.