Getting Control Over Your Life

True Control
The only thing any one person truly has control over is his or her own thinking. And yet... most people expend vast amounts of energy attempting to control everything BUT their thoughts. They try to exert control over their lives by influencing or manipulating the people, situations, and objects in their environment; and they become frustrated and anxious when these efforts fail. Frustration and anxiety, in turn, compel them to try even harder to influence or manipulate; and the cycle perpetuates itself.

What's ironic is that the cycle is easily broken by accepting one very simple truth. Control over your life begins with control over your thoughts; because your thoughts are the only thing over which you ever have complete control.

Taking Responsibility
It's a matter of taking responsibility. COMPLETE responsibility. For your actions, decisions, and ultimately, your thinking. And it may very well seem like the most difficult thing you ever attempt. But responsibility is the core quality of a truly successful person. Successful people take both the credit and the blame for everything that happens to them. Remember - "You are the CEO of your own life." This means there is a direct relationship between your level of success, personally and professionally, and the amount of responsibility you are willing to accept for your life.

You must accept COMPLETE responsibility for who you are and what you do.

You must accept the fact that whatever your life is (or is not) at this very moment is the direct result of the thoughts you think and the choices you make. Accept the fact that if you want things to change, YOU must change. Stop looking outside of yourself for answers, quick-fixes, or scapegoats. Your parents did the best they could, and even if it wasn't "good enough," what you do with your life after leaving their nest is YOUR choice and YOUR responsibility. Accept it!

Rabbit Hunting
I think of white rabbits as the excuses we use to avoid accepting responsibility and committing to the things in life that we truly want. Universally popular white rabbits include, "I'm too old/too young," "I don't have enough money," "I can't do it because of my wife/husband/kids/parents/boss" and "I'm not ready yet".

Sound familiar?

Define your personal white rabbits. Acknowledge the excuses you consciously (and unconsciously) make for yourself. Go "rabbit hunting" and root out the source of self-sabotage before it robs you of even one more day of happiness and success. Sit down right now and make a list of all your favorite excuses for not making the changes you know are necessary to achieve your dreams in life. Then ask yourself this question: Has anyone else EVER succeeded in spite of this problem/limitation? If your answer is "yes" - if you can think of or intuitively sense that even ONE person somewhere, at some point in history has overcome the challenge you put on your list of white rabbits - then you know it's nothing more than that - an excuse. Eliminate it!

The Bottom Line
Let me share with you this simple equation:

Responsibility = Control = Freedom

A highly responsible person feels more in control, experiences more freedom, and ultimately, knows greater joy and success than a highly irresponsible person. After all, it's a lot of work coming up with excuses for your failures and trying to influence or manipulate factors outside of yourself!

Take the reigns of your life. Decide what you really want -- and go get it. Stop blaming the rest of the world for your frustration and dissatisfaction in life.

Accept the fact that no one is coming to the rescue. This is YOUR life. Live it ON PURPOSE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Career transition specialist Marta Kagan has helped countless professionals achieve more success, freedom, and balance in their work lives. To find out more about Marta's innovative career coaching services and sign up for FREE confidence-building tips like these, visit her website at http://www.lifelinecoaching.com.