Where to look when you are… faced with different choices
Chickens
(Retold by Anne Paden, From Jack London's White Fang)
Jack London's wonderful classic, White Fang, tells the story of an animal, half dog, half wolf, as he survives his life in the wild and then learns to live among men. There is one story in particular that has left a lasting impression on my heart.
Keep this thought at the ready at daybreak, and through the day and night - there is only one path to happiness, and that is in giving up all outside of your sphere of choice, regarding nothing else as your possession, surrendering all else to God and Fortune.
— Unknown, Paulo Coelho, Stories for Children, Parents, and Grandparents
One day, two flower merchants set up shop next to one another. They opened for business on the same day, carried the same lovely selection of aromatic flowers, and maintained similar prices for their marvelous plants. Both merchants took great care with raising their plants and both were kind and courteous to their customers. In fact, their stores appeared to be equal in every way.
9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13:9-20 New International Version (NIV)
Above all, keep a close watch on this- that you are never so tied to your former acquaintances and friends that you are pulled down to their level. If you don't, you'll be ruined... You must choose whether to be loved by these friends and remain the same person, or to become a better person at the cost of those friends... if you try to have it both ways you will neither make progress nor keep what you once had.
— Epictetus, Discourses, 4.2.1; 4.5, (resource) The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom
When I was a young man, coming from a difficult upbringing, I fell into the mental trap of concluding that because other people were doing better that I was, they must be better or smarter than I was. I accidentally concluded that they were worth more than I was. I must therefore be worth less.
Ryan Holiday, The 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
But I haven't at anytime been hindered in my will, nor forced against it. And how is this possible? I have bound up my choice to act with the will of God. God wills that I be sick, such is my will. He wills that I should choose something, so do I. He wills that I reach for something, or something be given to me — I wish for the same. What God doesn't will, I do not wish for. — Epictetus, Discourses, 4.1.89
It gives us a feeling of control. Marshal Goldsmith explains: People who believe they can succeed see opportunities, where others see threats. They are not afraid of uncertainty or ambiguity, they embrace it. They take more risks and achieve greater returns. Given the choice, they bet on themselves. Successful people have a high "internal locus of control." In other words, they do not feel like victims of fate. They see their success as a function of their own motivation and ability — not luck, random chance, or fate. They carry this belief even when luck does play a crucial role in success. — Marshal Goldsmith(resource) Eric Barker, Barking Up the Wrong Tree
