Owning Our Power to Choose

To start us off, I’m choosing to write this Substack post!

I’ve been doing a lot of choosing recently.

It can be overwhelming, exhausting, and sometimes even paralyzing.

The more we own our power to choose, the more liberated and empowered we feel and the easier it gets.

I cancelled my Amazon Prime and Spotify subscriptions. I know these seem like minor choices, but there was some major energetic heavy lifting involved in the process.

In banking, we’d always hear, “make them sticky.” Get clients as many products as you can to make it so hard to leave to move to another bank that they simply won’t.

I was sticky in both of these spaces, but continuing to contribute to the companies with my monthly subscriptions was no longer in alignment for me for many reasons.

One of my favorite teachers Lada recently said, “I’m done choosing easy. I’m choosing what’s right.”

It’s challenging to find similar products locally versus the ease of shopping on Amazon. Just search and click.

I was also in a lot of resistance to move everything over to a much more aligned music streaming platform, Qobuz.

I had a day of panicking where I almost gave up multiple times just because I didn’t want to deal with it.

It’s only $15ish bucks per month. How am I really making a difference either way?

Can you imagine how different the world would be if we stopped thinking like that!?

I fully understand continuing to engage with companies that are out of alignment with your values. This is in no way an attempt to tell you what to do with your time, money, or energy.

It’s really hard to find companies that are not led by greedy, unethical assholes these days. We really need to step it up collectively with our transparency and honesty. We need better leaders on so many levels.

However, the universe is this magical, limitless source of all things and I want to zoom out, get unstuck from the spaces that feel sticky, and do things differently.

So, I’m choosing some steps that are a little more time consuming initially, but feel SO much more in alignment for me.

When I feel the need to shop on Amazon, I want to pause and ask myself a few questions.

Do I really need this?

If I do need this, can I get it locally and support a small business that operates in alignment with my values and in integrity?

Are there other, better options?

If we feel there are no truly better options, than let’s buy the damn thing or stream the song.

But we get do it consciously, engaging on our terms.

Same goes with relationships, careers, choices big and small…literally everything.

Even if nothing changes externally, we can still change how we show up.

We always have a choice. Always.

When we make choices, one thing I notice a ton is the energy of urgency.

There is so much pressure fed to us to get us to decide NOW.

We are hooked in so many ways with a sense of urgency.

Buy NOW, begin the relationship NOW, end the relationship NOW, start the job, quit the job…you need to know this exact second or else!

I’m learning to be more aware of the energy of urgency and when I am internally or externally being pressured to make a decision.

When I notice this is happening, can I get centered and grounded, and then approach whatever it is I was making a choice about from a very different place?

Maybe I need space or maybe I need more info.

I often need to get the hell out of my head and into my body.

The wording we use also makes a huge difference.

I choose to versus I have to is a powerful reframe.

So, my friends, I invite you to ponder your power of choice.

In what areas of your life do you tell yourself that you have no choice?

Are you handing over your power?

Are you hiding from making a decision?

Are you stuck in something easy, but out of alignment?

Do you want to choose differently?

Step by step, day by day.

New awareness invites us into more alignment.

We get to choose.

Melissa