It Boils Down to Choice

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, we live in a world of many choices. Do you write this story or this online article or this screenplay or this book? In this article I want to give a personal story and practical example of a choice and change I have made in my own life.

Throughout any day, each of us make many choices. One of the most personal choices relates to what you eat and drink. Through the years, I have made poor choices in this area. During my 29 years of marriage, my wife has watched my weight go up and then down. As I’ve grown older, she wondered if I would ever go down again. A few months ago, I made a decision to change what I was eating. I’ve eliminated sugar and carbs in my diet and focused on my eating. It has not been an easy choice because I love to eat many of the things I have not been eating. Like many things we do, the process is slow and takes time. During the last few months, I’ve dropped 30 pounds and I’m at one of my lowest weights in about 15 years. 

As an example, I am not drinking sodas but instead I am drinking more water. For a snack, I am not eating chips, popcorn and cookies as in the past but instead eating vegetables or a hard boiled egg. I make these simple food choices every time I eat something. Over time, I have dropped the weight or pounds. I don’t pretend that these choices are simple but they have to be made consistently and the results compound over time. 

I understand every day and each meal is a choice what I eat and do not eat. I’ve decided for the benefit of my health and the longevity of my life to continue on this course for the rest of my life. Yes occasionally I can make a different eating choice but overall I’ve come to a peace with this choice. Many of my relatives and ancestors made a different choice and were known as “big” men (read heavy). I’m certain that choice took years off their lives and daily health. I’m determined to make a different choice in this area and continue this pattern. 

In many ways it is like our writing life, there are many choices. Do you watch a TV show or write more words on your current book project? The choices we make determine what we will accomplish during our lifetime. Many people wonder how I’ve written over 80 books and for more than 50 publications. I’ve had incredible opportunities and I’m grateful for each one. A lot of it boils down to choice and making the right choice for you day in and day out.

As I’ve written in the past, writing is like the age old question, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is simple: one bite at a time. Just like eating an elephant, we write one sentence and one paragraph and one page at a time. As we keep writing pages, after a while, those pages turn into a book manuscript or a book proposal or a magazine article. We accomplish it sitting at our keyboard and putting words on our screen.

Throughout this article, I’ve been writing about how what we accomplish in our writing or our lives boils down to choice. What choices are you making in your personal or writing life? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

According to this prolific author and editor, many of the results of our life will boil down to choice. Get the details about his choice here.  (ClickToTweet)

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