“When you retain the freedom to choose, you are never left with nothing”. - Victor Frankl

Life to a great extent is the result of the choices you and I make. Victor Frankl observed during his days in the concentration camps, that regardless of the exterior world, few made the right choices, while many withered away, not because of the external condition, but because of the choices they made. He went on to say, that even if a few made the right choices, there is sufficient proof that right choices can be made, it is a matter for the many who don’t make the right choices, to learn and practice making the right choices.

Be it punctuality, eating right, being diligent, optimistic and result oriented, all are choices.

You and I need to build the capacity to make the right choices. An effective way of making the right choice is to model individuals who make the right choices.

In the present times, with the advent of internet and multi-media learning from successful individuals is very accessible.

We were taught in childhood the story of Eklavya, who learned archery by making a statue of the grand master Dronacharya. Now-a-days with youtube, and google, and numerous websites, it is very accessible to expose one self to the masters, who have learnt and practiced the art of making the right choices.

In my workshops, I show a photograph of a Bollywood artist, known for being sensational both on and off screen. The moment I show, all the participants have a big laugh and blurt out the name. Then I show the photo graph of Mrs. Sudha Murthy and ask for a show of hands, as to how many recognize the person. A disappointing number of hands go up. The moment I mention the name they express a sigh of relief, but at the same time they realize that they are watching too much sensational media, without an intent, and why it is important to identify and follow individuals like Mrs. Sudha Murthy and learn from them the powerful habit of making the right choices.

There is a beautiful anecdote, about Mrs. Sudha Murthy, after she graduated with her engineering degree, she did not have a placement. She kept on searching in the newspapers for employment opportunities, till one day she found an advertisement by a large corporate which read “looking for engineers, but men only apply.”

Sudhaji made the choice to write a letter to the senior executives of the corporation and brought to their attention a case of prejudice, and was successful in being interviewed and being hired by that corporation.

Like that, if we were to follow successful individuals, be it in sports, arts, literature, social work, education, so on and so forth, we will learn immensely why, how and what of decision making.

Sensible choices make an individual sensible, and then the individual continues to make sensible choices.

In-order for you and I to be in a virtuous cycle, instead of being in a vicious cycle, lets first learn from the masters the art of making the right choices and live life by choice, not by default.

I remember a sticker on a friend’s refrigerator “once on your lips, always on your hips.”

My friend is fit, for she is making good choices, when it comes to eating. To ensure that she makes the right choices, she has chosen to put the right sticker that keeps on reminding her to make the right choice.