My wife, Susan, and I have a friend who worked for an international banking firm. He was a highly-placed executive who had open access to the CEO. He, our friend, was an ideas man. And every time he brought one of his ideas to the CEO the answer was an immediate and adamant, “No.” They locked horns, our friend arguing for his idea, the CEO arguing against. There was no dialogue, just opposition. The merits of the idea were never discussed. They argued until at last someone gave in, usually the CEO. And together the two made disastrous decisions for the bank, bringing the institution almost to its knees. There was never a time to pause, to reconsider, to choose, to redirect, to abstain, to wait, or to regroup. Pausing, reconsidering, choosing, redirecting, abstaining, waiting, regrouping, these are hallmarks of the Alexander Technique. We consider an action and give ourselves permission to withhold compliance, give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Is this  habit or choice, we might ask? Mr. Alexander called it inhibition, but let’s not go into that. You can call it what you want—choosing not losing—if you want something pithy. Can you recall an instance in your life where you felt your path to be wrong and you charged ahead anyway. And what were the results of that? I hope yours were not as bad as some of mine. Today, find an opportunity to choose your words rather than blurting something out that you’ll regret for years. Choosing your course of action, even a simple one like raising a fork, changes your future. It really does. Today, choose, don’t lose. It’s having your part in the Alexander Technique.