Secondary choices — the action steps that support your primary choices — are the day-to-day behaviors that build your path to optimal health. They are not always exciting or convenient, and if they weren’t connected to something deeply meaningful, most of us would abandon them the moment we felt tired, stressed, or distracted.
But those small daily actions are needed to help you achieve your primary choice.
For example, deciding to become a deeply present parent is a primary choice. Secondary choices to support this goal could include things like putting your phone down, listening to your child’s full story, apologizing when you get it wrong and choosing connection over convenience.
Now imagine this: you’ve had a draining day. You walk in the door, and your child immediately starts telling you about something that happened at school that day. Your hand drifts toward your phone. Tuning out would be easy. But that wouldn’t support your primary goal. So you kneel down, look them in the eye, and listen fully.
Your health operates in the same way.
A 30-minute walk. Preparing a balanced, low-glycemic dinner. Getting 8 hrs of sleep. Drinking water instead of soda. Planning tomorrow’s meals instead of reacting to hunger. None of these behaviors feel monumental. Alone, they seem almost insignificant. But when you begin to take these small steps to support your primary choice, they can become powerful.
So how do you know if your actions are aligned? Ask yourself honest questions.
- If I repeat this behavior consistently, will it move me toward my goal? If your goal is a healthy weight and waist circumference in three months, will eating healthy once a week get you there? Probably not. But eating balanced meals every single day might.
- Are your action steps accurate, brief, and concise? “Eat better” is vague. “Use portion control at dinner by following Dr. A’s Plate system” is actionable. If you cannot clearly picture the behavior, it’s harder to execute it consistently.
- Does every action step have a due date? For example, “I will eat one lean and green meal every day.”
We live in a culture obsessed with immediate results. We want visible change now. We assume one indulgent meal will derail everything, or one healthy meal will fix everything. Neither is true. Today’s cheeseburger won’t determine your future health. Neither will today’s salad.
The process of creating health takes time in the real world.
Chronic disease doesn’t appear overnight. For example, severe heart disease develops over years of repeated choices. Vibrant health can develop the same way.
When you accomplish your secondary choices day after day, subtle shifts begin to occur. You get closer to reaching your goal – or goals! This feedback reinforces the behavior. And over time, what once required lots of discipline becomes easier. You are no longer forcing yourself to live differently.
Every choice counts.
Your secondary choices — the walks, the balanced meals, the moments of presence — are where change can happen. These small steps may feel insignificant, even easy to skip, but every single one matters.
Keep showing up for yourself, even in small ways.