THE POWER OF CHOICE -Part I

THE POWER OF CHOICE - Part I

Little Emily spent the rest of the day sulking. Alone in her room. Detached from the rest of the family. Her rich uncle who visited earlier had gifted her a thousand naira. But she wasn't happy.

She preferred one of the fifty naira mint notes he had on him to the thousand naira bill. To ease her mood, her elder brother, about a decade older, offered a deal.

 

He was going to give her five mint notes similar to the type she sought from her uncle in exchange for the thousand naira bill. She was exhilarated. Her countenance changed and she flipped her sad mood for an electrifying demeanor.

In delight, she exchanged her old looking one thousand naira bill for five fifty naira mint notes. She wanted one, now she got five. What could be a better deal? But the next day, she learnt a lesson that would remain with her for the rest of her life. 

About mid day, Emily and her brother walked down to the ice cream shop along the street to get cups of ice cream. He had a single naira bill and she had five. What a good day, she thought. She was going to have as much ice cream as she wanted. 

A couple of steps down the street and they were at the ice cream shop. After having a few cups, her money was expended but her brother still had enough bills with him even though he had the same amount of ice cream. It seemed like the more he ordered, the more bills he received. It finally dawned on her: she had exchanged a dirty but powerful bill for clean but low bills. Fat choice!

You see, nothing determines the direction of our lives and our eventual fate in life like the choices we make. But the choices we make depend on our understanding of value. 

Emily's story may look like a choice only kids are susceptible to, but everyday, we are making similar choices. Although it's clear to see the difference in value between a clean fifty naira bill and a tattered one thousand naira note, sometimes, choices that have lifelong consequences don't have such clear cut differences.

To make good choices in life, you need to understand the concept of value and the gravity of consequences. Since the choices we make, make us, your understanding of value and consequences determines your life's trajectory. Like Emily, our choices have consequences. They either make or mar us. 

But what is the power of choice anyway? I'll put it simply: it is the power to decide your destiny. It is the power to chart your course and decide your fate. It is the power to build the kind of life you admire. But just like Emily, your ability to make a good decision depends on your understanding of value and consequences. 

There's another story about two young men. Both old enough to be Emily's father. Yet the power of choices had the same consequences on them as it did on Emily. In the second part of this article, we will be looking at how the choices these men made defined their life's trajectory. Do check it out. 

Continued in The Power of Choice Part II.