The Mind - Choices

‘A friend of mind said to me one day, “You always have a choice”. She was reminding me of the archetype called the Saboteur, the guardian of choice. An archetype is a universal pattern of human nature and is neutral by nature, no matter the connotation of the name. You may be familiar with them from stories and movies. They show up as characters such as the child, the mother, or the hero. However, they are also active in our lives to help up realize the truth of who we are and to choose accordingly.

The Saboteur archetype helps us develop an instinct for when you, or someone else, is undermining us.

While working with a phenomenal coach, I realized I was missing some focus in my life. I was feeling overwhelmed with the number of options to choose from and decisions to make, thusly choosing nothing. While working with her, the three most important areas in my life became clearer to me: family, community, and career. I began to understand that the choices I’d been making of late didn’t serve my family, career, or community and were draining me. Where did I give up my power of choice? Maybe around the time I began to order pizza three nights a week. Quite possibly when I overcommitted myself to doing the job of three employees.

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“Yes, husband”, “yes, church”, “Yes, sister”, “yes, kids”, “yes, PTA” equaled “NO” to me. As I said ‘yes’ to every request, ultimately, I was saying ‘no’ to me.

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My saboteur was working overtime to undermine my relationship with my truth. That truth being, that it is my role to write the script of my life in alignment with my priorities. I needed to choose how I spent my time, and not let it be dictated to me by anyone. I created a diagram, that showed how I moved based on my decisions. Three circles overlapping two or three at a time in some places is my road map. Choices I make that keep me within the circles allow my saboteur to serve the truth of who I am. I feel energized and alive, especially when I can land in that sweet spot between all three areas. “YES, I just rocked that”! Choices that are outside of those circles do not fit my flow, I feel frustrated, overwhelmed and out of sorts. They suck the wind out of my sails.

How will you wield your power of choice?

We have three options. We can choose to step forward, standstill, or retreat. The saboteur is alive and well in all three of these options. To be of service to our truth, our goals, ourselves, or to work against them.’

Excerpt from Issue 3 | The Trendy Minimalist Magazine, March 2020. To read more: https://www.flipsnack.com/TheTrendyMinimalistMagazine/the-trendy-minimalist-magazine-march-2020/full-view.html