The power of choice

The Power of Choice speaks about the intricate analysis of the Choices we make and how these choices affect every facet of our lives, what lessons we can learn and how we can overcome some of these choices we have made and create conditions for improvement.

To critically examine the subject, I will look at the life of a child. At the very beginning of a child’s life, they learn how to eat, sleep, and recognize the voice of their mother. They begin to make choices and determine whether to cry all night and make the lives of their parents miserable or show them compassion.

Children may decide to crawl on their bellies, drag their bums on the floor, or use their hands, or hold things to stand, or take a goal at walking at any chance they can, even though they may fall several times.

These choices of children help to determine how fast they will master their early walking growth. And perhaps parents to be prepared about how fast and how many things will be displaced in the home or stuck in odd places.

This even goes with the very first words the child learns and how these very few words are used to get the attention of their parents. All this is about choices and, in a greater sense, relates to our own everyday experiences and decisions.

According to Byron Pulsifer, “each person has a choice; the choice to do as one may wish and as one wants remains with the individual. If a person sees no benefit to change, they will not change.” While Stephen Covey argues that, “we are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals.”

Charlie Bandenhop holds the view that “we all need to decide whether to play it safe in life, and worry about the downside, or instead take a chance, by being who we really are and living the life our heart desires. Which choice are you making?”

Along similar lines of thinking, Taylor Jenkins Reid in "Maybe in Another Life" indicates that "it doesn't matter if we don't mean to do the things we do. It doesn't matter if it was an accident or a mistake. It doesn't even matter if we think this is all up to fate. Because, regardless of our destiny, we still have to answer for our actions. We make choices, big and small, every day of our lives, and those choices have consequences."

While M. Scott Peck holds the view that, "... our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

For William Jennings Bryan "Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for. It is a thing to be achieved.”

Perhaps interestingly, Viktor Frankl, points out that, " everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedom - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way".

Indeed, Denis Waitley, adding his views to the question of choice, indicates that "there are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”

But one could also argue that" everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.”- Anonymous. Similarly, J.K. Rowling argues that "it is our choices.....that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. "Thus, Don Yeager points out that " decisions are the frequent fabric of our daily design.”

To examine the subject further, we could look to history where great leaders like Sir Winston Churchill had to make hard choices and strategies to create momentum and synergies for the UK and her allies to defeat Germany in the Second World War.

Churchhill also had to be very strategic with his policy choices in transforming the British economy and making it more resilient during the depression in the 40s and early 50s. These were difficult times. But it is all about hard choices.

In our own Ghanaian society, it was all about hard choices for Kwame Nkrumah - our first president - to fight for independence. But after independence, what have been the choices? Have we been able to move the country forward for greater development and progress, or have we been able to make effective policy choices that transform the nation into a modern nation-state where corruption and nepotism have been a thing of the past?

Or whether we have embarked on initiatives that put the Ghanaian people first, without grandiose interest, self-centeredness, arrogance but being truthful, patriotic, working for the greater good, accountable and responsible for our actions. Here, the idea is to call all of us to attention and seek objectivity in our actions, convictions, purpose, and a sense of direction.

Here again, I am trying to employ the ideals of our late leader Jerry John Rawlings, whose mantra was probity and accountability which at one time, appeared to be every Ghanaian's abiding belief - holding high these ideals that perhaps, we can transform our nation to untold heights of possibilities for our people.

This piece is not meant to apportion blame but to look at our experiences and to challenge us about our shortcomings in our societies and how if effective choices are made and carefully with the needs of the people at the center of every action we take, we might be able to design programs and policies that could lead to a sustainable and lasting transformation of our societies and perhaps we can together as a people believe and chant the creed "yes we can " - where ordinary people can collectively do amazing things.

So that, these are not just mere words, but truly happening in our everyday experiences and sustaining opportunities for business, changes in the mindset of the people, effective leadership, better educational systems, new industries, new roads, first-class infrastructural development, proactive banking systems, value-added exports, a stabilize cedi, reliable institutions and effective rule of law.

Thus, a new society of unimaginable possibilities and blessings, put Ghana beyond debt, increased investment, great hub for effective tourism, and first-class communities and societies. Perhaps a world utopia but possible with great planning, strategies, and fortitude.

Hence, for our country moving forward, good governance must be a power of choice. Stopping corruption must be a power of choice. Effective banking systems indeed have to be a power choice. An effective educational system that transforms our mindset and processes of production must be a power of choice. Advanced infrastructure and superb communication systems must be a power of choice. Protecting the environment must be a power of choice.

Good roads must be a power of choice. Electing visionary leadership must be a power of choice. “We are the creative force of our lives, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals.” – Stephen Covey.

Thus, "....the only thing that’s for sure is that indecision steals many years from many people who wind up wishing they’d just had the courage to leap.” – Doe Zantamata.