The thing about choices is that they are formative. The choices we make shape the course of our lives and also the character of our souls.
On the trajectory-of-life side, Jerzy Gregorek, an olympic-lifting poet who emigrated to the US from Poland famously says, “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.” Often choosing the thing that is harder in the moment leads to an easier life in the future. Similarly, choosing the easy thing in the moment leads to more hardship in the future.
On the soul side, Dusan Djukich, author of the book Straight Line Leadership, distinguishes between “growth choices” and “safe choices.” The interior stance of choosing things that produce growth tends toward more virtue and human development. The interior stance of choosing safety tends toward moral decline and stagnation.
One more perspective on choice is from James Clear’s Atomic Habits: “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
I witnessed these things first-hand this weekend. We had committed to going camping with some dear friends, and there were so many things beckoning toward the easy, safe choice. It was cold, we’d only be there for one night, we’d be driving four hours one way, my daughter had a cough and sniffles, I had other things to do, etc. A huge part of me was tempted to give up and stay home. And yet, I could see that it would produce more growth for me and for my family to honor our word and this growth came directly from the hardship. This may be the first step in the life-long formation of our family through camping.
This week, I invite you to try on both of these lenses around choice:
What are the hard choices that I get to make in order to produce an easier future? What are the easy choices I am making now that will lead to a harder life later?
What is a challenge I am facing or a big project I am working on? What choices am I making in this area from a stance of “playing it safe”? If I approached this area from a stance of “growth,” what choices would I make instead?
God bless,
Dan
