Life is the sum of your choices.
(Albert Camus, 20th century author, journalist, and philosopher)
There really are only two things we can control in life: our attitudes and our choices. We may not have chosen our environment, so the question is how do we respond to the circumstances that our beyond our control? Do we choose on the basis of temporal and passing fancies or on the lasting values that will determine what our life will be like?
How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! (Proverbs 16:16)