As a youth I never learned the truly awesome power of choice. If only some wise benefactor had sat down with the young boy I used to be and explained in simple terms that I was in possession of quite possibly the greatest power known to humankind. Who can tell what exotic destinations my road would have found?
    
Fortunately, life itself became my “wise benefactor.” The genius of Nature’s method of teaching us using experiences both positive and negative is that those lessons are not easily forgotten. Those lessons ripen into wisdom. Wisdom, in turn, can be shared with others. That brings the most delightful thought to mind! Might it be possible for me to be that wise benefactor for a younger version of myself?

What should I say? How can I get through to someone who doesn’t understand how powerfully, decisions made today will affect the rest of their life? If it were possible to travel back in time and speak to a younger version of myself, could I even get through to ME? Ha! When I was a kid if some strange guy had stepped out from behind a tree I’d be thinking this old guy doesn’t know anything about me or how life is nowadays. Still, those were more respectful times and such foolishness would have remained unspoken.

To the child in all of us from The Wise Benefactor:

Your power to choose can be given away but never taken from you. This is your life. It belongs to you, not your parents, siblings or friends. Every choice you make be it great or small creates a different future. Choose wisely. No matter who you are, no matter how young or old, no matter how rich or poor this day finds you, your power to choose is your greatest asset. It is the power that turns beggars into kings and queens. It transforms slaves into the masters of their own lives. Choose wisely my friend.

We’ll never know how this sage advice would have affected the young man I used to be, but this message is not just for youngsters. If you are a late bloomer like me, there is much value in looking back on one’s life and taking note of how the power of choice has affected the course of your personal adventure. In systems analysis this is called a feedback loop. In other words, what we learn from our yesterdays make for better decisions today.

Are you in school, starting a new career, beginning a new relationship or making plans for the years after retirement? Sure, life is full of unforeseen, unplanned events, but how do we choose to respond to those events? Our choices are like singing a song in the middle of a great mountain range. The sound carries a long way but eventually we will hear the same tune echoed back to us. Make today’s song a good one!

Oprah Winfrey is a wise benefactor in her own right and has been known to make quite a few good choices. May you benefit from her words of wisdom, “Right now you are one choice away from a new beginning – one that leads you toward becoming the fullest human being you can be.”

Qumran Taj, CPC is an author, teacher, psychic and a certified Professional Life Coach. He has been a motivational speaker, spiritual guide and mentor to thousands of individuals for well over 30 years. His articles, poems, quotations and interviews have been published in many respected newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and in the film docu-drama “Montauk Chronicles.” www.qumrantaj.com.