More on Power...

We are meant to have power in our lives--certainly over ourselves, bridling and loosing it as it benefits the moment and our goals. The power we have is made up of the choices available to us and the choices we make. A choice is simply a selection. It is one from several. While it’s easy to call a choice a decision, there’s a difference. Decisions involve valence, or a degree of judgment. “Chocolate or vanilla?” is a choice offered. “You shouldn’t have the vanilla,” or “I hate chocolate” adds an element of good-bad or right-wrong. “Shouldn’t” and “hate” color the choices and make them decisions for the speaker.

Power and choice are related. The choices that I learn are mine to make vary based on how others around me exercise their power. Some choices are welcome, others are suppressed. Some are available because of their lower level of risk, others are forbidden because they are too risky. I am--as are most others--a bit like a pinball in an arcade machine, caroming off options as they shift.

Distinguishing choice from decision is a beginning: it helps clarify where I have judgments I may wish to re-examine, change, or suspend.

If this kind of talk is helpful, or better yet, you can imagine a conversation like this on a regular basis, let me know! Reach out here and let’s spend some time together. Schedule a Connect Call Here: https://elizabethpower.com/calendar