By Senior Contributor,Shelley Zalis
Copyright forbes
How One Brave Choice Can Change The Game For Generations
Every day we face choices: how we lead, how we connect, how we respond. Choice is our most powerful tool, yet we often underestimate it.
Few moments capture that power more than Billie Jean King’s “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973. She stepped onto the court against Bobby Riggs…terrified, doubting she could win. But she made a choice bigger than herself. She chose courage over fear, knowing she carried the hopes of women everywhere.
As she later said: “I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn’t win that match. It would ruin the women’s tour and affect all women’s self-esteem.”
By choosing to win, Billie Jean King didn’t just beat a man, she changed the game. Her victory paved the way for progress, including equal prize money at the US Open, where today men and women now compete for the same $5 million prize.
Her story reminds us that choice is not just personal. It is collective. Our choices ripple outward, shaping industries, rewriting history, and creating futures we may never see ourselves but that others will inherit.
Other leaders have shown us the same truth. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern chose to lead with empathy and authenticity, proving that leadership can look different from tradition. Nelson Mandela chose reconciliation over revenge, healing a nation. Rosa Parks chose not to give up her seat, sparking a movement that changed history.
These choices were not easy. They were not safe. They broke patterns and created new ways forward.
We control our emotions by acknowledging them, not letting them define us. Fear, doubt, and uncertainty may arise, but they don’t have to take the lead. What comes next is our choice. That’s where our true power lies.
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The power of choice is what transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. We might not always feel ready. We might not always feel certain. But we always have a choice. And sometimes, as Billie Jean King showed us, a single choice can change the game for generations to come.
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