You are always at choice. You always do what you want to do. This is true with every act. You may say that you had to do something, or that you were forced to, but actually whatever you do, you do it by choice. Only you have the power to choose for yourself. W. Clement Stone
I love this quote, because it kind of shakes you awake. It’s a reminder we don’t always like hearing, but maybe we need to: we always, always have a choice.
It doesn’t always feel that way, of course. Life can back us into corners, stack up responsibilities, throw us situations where both options feel terrible. And yet, if you zoom out, there’s always a choice, even if it’s between something hard and something harder.
Think about it. You might say, “I had no choice but to go to work today.” But technically… you did. You went because the alternative—losing your job, not paying bills, letting people down—wasn’t worth it to you. That’s still a choice. Not an easy one, maybe not a fun one, but a choice.
That’s where the magic lies. Once you realize that everything you do is a choice, you stop feeling quite so powerless. You start to see that your life is a series of tiny (and sometimes massive) decisions strung together, each one shaping where you’re headed.
And yes, it’s kind of scary, too. Because if everything is a choice, then you can’t just say “life made me do it” or “I didn’t have a say.” You did have a say. Which means you’re more powerful than you think. But it also means you’re responsible for what you choose.
Choice doesn’t mean perfection. It doesn’t mean you’ll always pick the path you’re proud of, or that you won’t sometimes wish you’d chosen differently. It just means you get to own your decisions. You get to say, “Yes, this was mine. I chose this.” Even if it was messy. Even if you’re still figuring it out.
And that’s empowering, isn’t it? To realize you’re not as stuck as you thought. That even in the middle of stress, or heartbreak, or uncertainty, you still get to choose how to show up. Do you respond with anger or with patience? Do you stay or do you go? Do you let fear run the show, or do you take the leap anyway?
Life becomes a little lighter when you stop thinking of yourself as trapped, and start asking: What am I choosing here? And what do I want to choose next?
Because at the end of the day, life is built choice by choice. And maybe the most freeing thing you’ll ever realize is that no one else is making them for you—you are. Always.
