Concept
Imagine a continental divide between two lands, the Land of Choice and the Land of Obligation. When a person goes from the Land of Choice to the Land of Obligation, what happens?
What happens to energy level—up, flat, or down?
What happens to productivity—up, flat, or down?
What happens to innovation—up, flat, or down?
What happens to adaptability—up, flat, or down?
You pick your dimension, when people go from choice to obligation, bad things happen.
Some will say, “Wait a minute, many of us choose our obligations, like military service or marriage or children.” Yes, AND review in one’s mind the current thoughts about those previous choices. When we go from “I chose to do this” to “I have to do this,” what happens to our energy, productivity, invention, and so on? Even though we made the choice, if we forget why we made that choice and simply view an activity or condition as an obligation, that mindset produces a reduction in positive emotions and behavior. Yes/no?
Example
Now, pick a typical work day. On your way into work, what is your most common, dominant thought?
Most people from my experience asking this question all around the world will say, “What do I have to do today?” Notice the obligatory nature of that thought. Doug Newburg first brought this to my attention. I assert that this self-imposed obligation is an energy draining event. It puts us in an obligatory mindset right at the beginning of the day. Because this thought is so common and so pervasive, it has become non-conscious for most people. This Level Two (Conscious Thought) habit (unthinkingly repetitive) is an energy drainer.
What’s the alternative? “What do I want to do today?” or better “What do I want to create today?” Merely shifting one’s thinking from obligation to choice infuses more energy, creativity, and excitement into our minds—and behavior.
Diagram
Challenge
1. I encourage you to think consciously about your thoughts at the beginning of each day. Are you putting yourself mindlessly into an obligatory mindset and perhaps unwittingly reducing your own energy level?
2. Can you develop a new and more productive habit of learning to think habitually, “what do I want to create today?”
3. How much of your life do you live in obligation?
4. How do you reconcile your daily lifestyle and energy with the obligations that you chose? For example, marriage, parenting, mortgages, military service, jobs taken, and so on.