Free Will, the Illusion of Control, and the Power we have to Choose again.

AHA'S AND ACTION:

Here are 2 thoughts, 2 inspirations, and 1 question for you to reflect on this week…

2 THOUGHTS FROM ME

1. For a long time, I thought control meant power—if I could just plan well enough, prepare hard enough, predict everything in advance… then I’d be okay. But what I’ve come to see is that control is an illusion. Life moves how it moves. People show up how they show up. I cannot control anyone or anything at all. 

What I do have is the ability to choose how I respond—and to choose again when I get it wrong.

2. Free will isn’t about always making the perfect choice. It’s about the freedom to choose and to recognize that in every moment, a new choice is available. I can pause. I can shift. I can listen deeper. That’s where real power lives—not in controlling what happens, but in seeing that I’m never stuck. 

Free will is a gift.

2 INSPIRATIONS FROM OTHER PEOPLE

1. “In the space between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." by Viktor E. Frankl.

2. Neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett notes that our brain isn’t reacting to reality—it’s predicting. That means most of what we think is “real” is shaped by prior thought. The moment we realize this, we gain the power to choose something different.

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

1. If you fully trusted your own free will in this moment, what would you walk toward—and what would you quietly let go of?

---

WANT TO SHARE THIS?

If you know someone who would benefit from Aha's and Action, feel free to forward this issue to them. If you're that friend or colleague and want to join our community, click the link below to sign up!

SUBSCRIBE HERE