One of the defining attributes of effective capacity is marked out in the twin domains of choice and choosing. It’s one thing to have awareness of the variety of choices available to me in a given situation – it’s something else entirely when it comes to having the courage to make the choice that is the absolute best for keeping my ideals in motion. Especially when making that choice scares me to death or knowingly puts me in the position of willingly turning my back on more comfortable alternatives.
In this sense, capacity is very much about courage. The type of courage that recognizes that by making a choice I will willingly forgo what else is possible (and often comfortable and familiar). In a very real sense, the quality of my choices eventually comes to be determined not only by the ideal that the choice serves, but also by what I am willing to sacrifice or forgo in order to keep the ideal (and myself) in motion. In this way capacity is very much synonymous with courage.
Sustainably moving towards what I want does involve a continuous process of refining my capacity to make choices. The more intentional and conscious I am when considering the various choices available to me the greater the likelihood that my ultimate choice will be well considered and less prone to “buyer’s remorse”. Making choices always involves turning away from alternatives. The sustaining movement to a life’s ideal requires that I develop the capacity to walk away from alternatives as well as the capacity to keep my ideal sharply in focus. Both require discipline and the former requires the courage of being in integrity with what I say I want my life to be.
Comments