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“The choices you make every day determine your destiny.”

– Napoleon Hill

This rule emphasizes the fundamental principle of free will: in every situation, even the most difficult, you have a choice. You can choose how to react to events, what thoughts to think, what feelings to experience, and what actions to take. This is not always obvious, especially in stressful situations when we tend to react automatically based on our old habits. However, recognizing your power of choice gives you back control over your Life.

In existential psychology, free will is considered a core characteristic of human existence. Jean-Paul Sartre, one of the key figures of this movement, argued that man is “condemned to be free” and is fully responsible for his choices. Your free will is truly free because its exercise always yields real results – not sometimes, but always. And it brings us exactly the results we strive for. Moreover, having a choice and recognizing one’s own autonomy contributes to the growth of intrinsic motivation and an increased level of well-being.14

The power of choice determines the quality of life in all its manifestations, from everyday decisions to global issues of career and relationships. Every day, we make hundreds of choices: what to eat for breakfast, what clothes to wear, what to do with our time. And each of these choices, no matter how small, shapes our reality.

Every morning, you can choose: to wake up with gratitude or under the weight of thoughts about the day ahead. This choice determines how your morning and the entire day will unfold. This is why some people hear, “He’s lucky in everything,” while others are told, “He woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Throughout the day, you constantly face the need to choose: how to react to difficulties; with whom and how to communicate; how to manage your time. Each of these choices, like a brick, builds the foundation of your life. Recognizing this gives you strength and confidence, because even in the most difficult circumstances, you always have the ability to choose how to respond to them.

To more deeply feel and realize your power of choice, you can use the “Analysis of Choices and Reactions” method. It is based on the principle that there is always a gap between an event and the reaction to it – that very moment when you have the power to choose how to respond. The practice is to learn to notice this gap and consciously choose your reaction, rather than acting on autopilot.

• Recall (or better yet, in the moment) a situation that triggered a strong emotion and the urge to react in your usual way (irritation, resentment, fear). Briefly describe it.

• Identify your first, automatic thought, feeling, or action. This is the reaction that arises without conscious control.

• Pause. Realize that you have a choice in how to react. You are not obligated to follow your first impulse. This is the most crucial moment of the practice.

• Decide how you want to react, based on your values and goals. Choose a thought, feeling, or action that is different from your usual one.

• Act in this new way and observe what happens next. How did the situation change? How did you feel?

• At the end of the day (or immediately after the situation), analyze what you noticed. How easy was it to make the choice? How did the result differ from your usual reaction? What did you learn about yourself?

Regularly applying this practice will help you strengthen the “muscle” of conscious choice and gradually reduce the power of automatic reactions.

Understanding that Life is a continuous flow of choices offers incredible opportunities. You are an active Creator of your reality. By making conscious decisions in every moment, you can change your Life for the better and find inner happiness.