Dr Shiam Chuttoo

A reflection by Dr Shiam Chuttoo, with my CHOOSE Model.

Nayi soch leke aata hoon. I come bringing a new way of thinking.

Who wrote your headline?

Switch on the television, open your phone, and it starts: news, news, news. Headlines about who failed, who fell, who lost. Without noticing, many of us start writing our own lives the same way. Too old. Too late. Not clever enough. Not from the right place.

I have been handed many headlines in my life. A young man in Mauritius climbing poles for the Central Electricity Board. A newcomer to Britain in 1988. A student nurse, then a social worker, a lecturer, an author. At sixty-four I walked back onto a bowling green and started again as a beginner. Each time, someone could have written the headline for me. Each time, I decided to write it myself.

There is a line often credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson, though its true source is uncertain: the only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. Whoever first said it, I have lived it.

My CHOOSE Model

© Dr Shiam Chuttoo 2026. Six choices you can make again every morning.

• C, Choose your headline: before the world writes it, write one honest sentence about who you are becoming.
• H, Honest, even when afraid: never let fear make you dishonest. A small lie told in fear grows into a big wall later.
• O, Own your story: every job, mistake and new start belongs to you, and each one is a rung you can stand on.
• O, Open your hand for support: pain can be physical, practical or emotional, and nobody should carry it alone.
• S, Stand up once more: fall seven times, stand up eight, as the old Japanese proverb says.
• E, Every morning, decide again: becoming is a daily choice, made in small actions.

Sometimes truth takes time

Choosing who you want to be does not mean the world agrees with you overnight. People may doubt you. Results may be slow. Truth has a way of arriving late and staying long. Keep doing the honest work and let time do its part.

In fairness, choice will not remove every limit. Health, money, age and circumstance are real. What choice does is set the direction you walk in, and direction, kept up for long enough, changes where you end up.

Facing pain with support

The hardest days are when pain sits on your chest and the brave headline feels like someone else’s. On those days the bravest choice is often to ask for help. Support comes in two broad kinds:

• Practical support: easing tension and stress, learning to relax, and building healthier ways to cope.
• Emotional support: calming overwhelm and worry, working through strain, and slowly rebuilding confidence and a sense of control.

A trusted friend, your GP, a counsellor or a talking therapy service can all offer this. Some people also find complementary approaches, such as hypnotherapy, helpful alongside medical care for coping with long-term discomfort. Speak to your GP first, and choose a properly registered practitioner.

Questions to sit with

• If I wrote today’s headline about myself, what would it say?
• Where has fear made me less than honest, and what would one honest step look like?
• Who could I ask for support this week?
• How many times have I already stood up again, and what does that tell me about myself?

Write your own headline. Stand up once more. Choose again tomorrow.

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A word of caution. This piece is for education and personal reflection. It is not medical, psychological or legal advice, and it does not replace care from a qualified professional. Please understand any technique before you use it. Anyone who uses these ideas does so by their own choice and is responsible for their own actions. If pain, low mood or worry stays with you, talk to your GP or another health professional. In the UK you can call NHS 111, Samaritans free on 116 123, or 999 in an emergency.

© Dr Shiam Chuttoo 2026. The CHOOSE Model is the original work of Dr Shiam Chuttoo. Credit: CHOOSE Model, created by Dr Shiam Chuttoo. You may share or use this model only with my permission, or with clear credit to me as its author. Contact: shiamduth@outlook.com. Work record: Ref DSC-2026-CHOOSE-01. Title: Write Your Own Headline. Author: Dr Shiam Chuttoo. Created 15 October 2026. All rights reserved.