"We were always just one choice away."

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book, Mind Shift (p. 9). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

That is a very challenging thought, isn't it?

Erwin continues, "Life is an unpredictable and beautiful journey filled with both adventure and danger. That is, of course, if you choose life rather than existence. Life doesn’t just happen. If your life is happening by accident, you are only existing. If you are living beneath your potential, you are only existing. If you’ve surrendered your uniqueness for acceptance, you are only existing. If you are living for pleasure and profit rather than love and purpose, you are only existing."

In other words "We were always just one choice away."  

Maybe you are in those young years and you are striving to figure all of this out. Or maybe where I am in my older years and realizing that I still have choices. That I am not limited by my years. No matter what, "Life is an unpredictable and beautiful journey filled with both adventure and danger." And that can be exciting.

Erwin goes on, "For most of us, the tension is not between good choices and bad choices. The real battle is between the easy good and the hard best." 

And this is so important to see, "It’s as though there is a gravitational pull toward mediocrity. The more determined you are to maximize your life, the more challenges you will face. The more you are unwilling to be satisfied with the status quo, the more you will find yourself facing resistance. It’s tempting to choose the easy road, to settle for mere existence. But the obstacles and challenges and crises you face are not interruptions or detours on the path of life. They are the very context for life itself."

And this is why he wrote this book and why it is an important book to be read no matter where we are in life.

He says, "Mental health, mental clarity, mental toughness, and mental agility all have one thing in common: The journey begins in our minds. This is where the battle is fought—and where the battle is won. Every time you want to elevate your level of execution, performance, or effectiveness, it will require a mind shift. For anything to change, the first thing that must change is your mind. I’ve come to realize after forty years of working with people who were both desperate and determined to change their lives that my real occupation is a mind architect."

So, let's hook on to the journey. Yes, yes! #continuethought