So today is election day, which means you had the opportunity to make a choice that will affect your future in large or small ways. Well consider this: an "election" simply means a "choice." Here's my point for today: you should make EVERY DAY election day. Here are a few recommended choices:

• Choose to exercise more courage. (More on this in a moment.)
• Choose to be a better critical thinker.
• Choose to be a better friend.
• Choose to be happier.

Courage: think about your life. Are you doing and being everything you want? Do you exercise? Do you love everyone so much that you really find yourself caring about them and doing something about it? Etc. etc. etc. If not, there's a good chance that some brand of fear is getting in the way. Do you worry about stuff (keeping up with life's demands, what others will think of you and your actions, etc.)? Think it over. If you see that it's true, then get yourself into super-hero-determination mode and be and do those things anyway! Then you'll be really awesome. I know, you already are, but won't it feel fantastic to put that into action even more often? Critical thinking: okay, this is one I've been thinking some about recently. Partly because I teach it at the V (somebody recently told me of their mission to get ppl calling Utah Valley University "The V", so I am helping out here, doing what I can), partly because of some disappointing experiences where more careful thinking would have helped things turn out more nicely for everyone. Here are some specific steps to consider:

• What have you "Made Up Your Mind" about? Think of something, and then try to find some new information about it, a new perspective, and give it a chance.
• Along similar lines, take a few of your beliefs and ask yourself how you came to "know" them. Was it logical, and if so, did you actively search for all information before setting them in concrete? (Hopefully you haven't actually set most of them in concrete, but leave room for more information and perspectives to consider. This not only lets you improve your views, but it keeps life more interesting.) Did they just "feel" right? (Feelings and gut reactions can be extremely valuable, but they can also be extremely incomplete and you risk basing your views on your own biases and fears and experience, which limits your ability to get things right and to grow.) Did someone tell you something? (That can be very helpful, but sometimes it's worth thinking it through for yourself as well.) etc.
• One of my favorite items from a "traits of critical thinkers" list is that critical thinkers view Problems as Exciting Challenges. When you think about that - how exciting to switch out of complaining/despair/stress/irritation mode and get working on solutions instead! I love that one.

Be a better friend: if you exercise courage and practice good critical thinking habits, then chances are you'll automatically be a better friend. You'll give the benefit of the doubt when needed while seeking and considering new information, etc. But often it's just a matter of putting more effort into it. Call someone up. Listen. Write on their Facebook page. Whatever. BTW, I haven't been a super awesome friend to most of you recently. Sorry. I've been kinda struggling, but everything seems to be getting better. Some of you know, at least, that if you need something, you can call me and I'll almost always put down whatever I'm doing and do what I can to help. Be happier: one of the main points I'll make here is that what you actually achieve in life is highly dependent on your VISION of what's possible for you. So if you choose to be happier, you'll look for ways to become so. Making the choice is a good start. Next, there's a small list of prerequisites to happiness, and you can check to see how you're doing on each one. First: believe in yourself. Love yourself. Think you're awesome - and I mean really, deep down, through and through, believe this. I'm not talking about vanity or selfishness. Those are based on fear and scarcity. If there was enough love going around, we wouldn't need to waste our time scraping for more attention, would we? Loving ourselves is something that most of us could do better at, n'est-ce pas? So if you want to be a better friend this week/month/year/century, maybe you could start by periodically reminding your friends what's so great about them to help them believe it more easily. Second: love God and everybody else. Maybe you think those should be number one, but one of the best ways to love others is to first really love yourself. Um...I think everything else probably follows those two. If you love yourself, you'll take care of yourself, for example. This includes cleaning your room, exercising, balance, having confidence, seeking good friends, pursuing good goals, applying your talents, etc. Notice that to to vote, you had to take action. You had to drive somewhere (or go online, or whatever you did) and possibly wait in line, hopefully get informed, and jump through a few simple hoops. The same goes for all other important choices - YOU VOTE WITH YOUR ACTIONS. Sorry for all caps. You already knew that, didn't you? Just like this whole post. Just a friendly reminder then. And now I'm done.