Part 3 of a 7-part series – How a journey of self discovery led to positive change
“You can complain about the direction of your life all you want, but until you sit in the driver’s seat and begin to drive yourself, you aren’t going to get where you want to go!” (Les Brown)
Have you ever shouted at the radio, pored over newspaper articles, worried about politics, the economy or the climate? How often do you complain about the decisions that are taken by your bosses?
About 18 months ago, I felt like a victim – demotivated by the direction the business was going and seeing my personal results at risk of being destroyed by others. I had got into that easy habit of blaming others while not doing the basics myself. Yes, my sales were negatively impacted by the business and the wider economic environment. However, this was nothing compared to the impact of my own inaction. So, I did the simple things – contacted customers and participants and my pipeline immediately filled up. Suddenly I was in control of my own destiny!
This confidence spilled over into addressing my key areas of concern at work with the result that I could make choices – not always the utopian choices I would have hoped for, but still, active choices that I could make.
Call to action: Control what you can control, and your life immediately feels better – even if you don’t have the outcomes you hoped for. Influence what you can influence, but be clear about the limitations of what you can achieve. Stop worrying about the rest.
