it means that when we choose - we have to tell ourselves - this is what I choose and I will take responsibility for whatever comes in its wake...I will deal with whatever happens as best as I can. I will not shift blame, nor indeed the decision, onto anyone, no matter whose advice has been an influencing factor. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross says, 'I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.'
I will try to do my best in the circumstances I have created for myself with my decision.
Life is all about choices - every moment we have to make choices - and the only way those choices can make any sense, and importantly, give us peace of mind is if we consciously say (if need be, say it out loud) - This is what I choose to do and I will take responsibility for what it entails. If it's the wrong decision, I will right it, or I will learn from it; and if it is the right decision, it would bring happiness to me, to those I love and lighten my little world.
At our Baccalaureate, our Principal, Miss Shipstone said - Go out into the world, and remember these words from Deuteronomy 30:19 - I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life... (King James Bible)
In everything we think or say or do, life and death (metaphorically speaking) are ingrained - one brings joy, teaches us important lessons in life, gives us satisfaction and true joy. The other brings sorrow, unhappiness and deep distress. While we can enjoy the one, we can turn the other to something precious...