The Power of Choice

I’m at the Louisville International Airport.  As a professional speaker who travels to most of my clients, this place and the way I move through it feels almost as familiar as my routines at home.

After I leave security, I stop and fill my water bottle at the same water fountain I always do.  I use the same restroom: the one right past security because the ones by the gates tend to be so busy.  I walk next to the moving sidewalk - not on it. At the end of the walkway, the airport divides into 2 Terminals: A or B.

I choose the opposite terminal of the one my flight leaves from.  My routine is to do a full lap at the opposite terminal before doing a lap at the other terminal.  Depending on the time and delays, I may do more laps.

This wasn’t always the case.  For a year or so I almost forgot that travel was the rule and not the exception in my life. Which means that any trip had the power to derail my choices and even my health.

Crappy weather meant flight delays and missed workouts.

Feeling exhausted after a full day of speaking meant a glass of wine with dinner instead of a restorative walk.

Not sleeping well in a strange hotel room meant missed morning workouts.

At my gate I’d sit around waiting for my flight, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram/Facebook (insert social media drug of choice here) feeling more disconnected and lonely.

The story I told myself was travel was hard. Travel was lonely.  I was missing out on my family.  There was no routine or much time. Things were out of my control.

It was all (mostly) true.  Everyone except the last one.

It wasn’t until I was home for an extended period of time and grew attached to the routines that were serving me and helping me feel my best that I realized I could do the same on the road.  Not only could I do the same, the only person responsible for making that happen was me.  The airlines weren’t in control. My clients weren’t in control. I. WAS.

The same is true for you.  Whether you’re trying to figure out how to navigate life on the road or the highly tempting and well stocked break room.  It boils down to Choice.

The Could Do vs the Choose To

Once I began to see that the story I created around travel was one I was choosing, I realized how easily I could choose to create a different one.

• I choose to walk at the airport instead of sitting at the gate.
• I choose to prioritize my workouts no matter how much sleep I get.
• I choose to recover from a day of speaking instead of numbing myself with wine or Netflix.
• I choose to stay connected to the people and things that bring me joy instead of disconnecting and comparing myself to everyone else on social media
• I choose to see the joy in the work I get to do and the amazing people I get to meet instead of the drudgery of travel and delays.

Choice.  It’s a powerful word.  And yet, we don’t use it enough.  What can you CHOOSE in your life?