The Key to Taking Control of Your Life
Do you ever blame other people for your circumstances? It’s a very common trait and, in many ways, we could describe it as an automatic reaction to the problems and pressures of everyday life. It’s something that many of us learn to repeat from early childhood. We become accustomed to hearing our parents complain about the government and the inefficiency of politicians. We hear them complaining about all sorts of problems that they encounter in the course of their lives. And we learn to accept it as completely normal to blame everything around us: our families, the weather, our upbringing, our teachers, our bosses, the government – the list seems endless.
During the early days of genetic research, we even developed the belief that the quality of our lives was somehow dependent on whatever genes we’d inherited from our parents. Popular newspapers printed stories about our total dependence on our genetic makeup. We learned that we were condemned to respond to whatever impulses our genes might generate. These widely-repeated stories persuaded us that we were more like pre-programmed robots rather than thinking, feeling creatures with the potential for a high degree of personal choice. Fortunately, a deeper and more thorough understanding of genetic influences has revealed that the quality of our lives is far more dependent on our lifestyle choices. Our genes are not as influential as we originally suspected. And this is a very significant breakthrough in our understanding of how much influence we can bring to bear on the outcomes in our life stories.
The moment you take responsibility for everything?in your life
is the moment you can change anything in your life.
-??????Hal Elrod
Taking full responsibility for the things that happen in your life is one of the most liberating steps you can take. It can feel unsettling at first because it can easily seem to increase the level of pressure and potential stress that you might be experiencing - and that’s hardly a welcome addition to anybody’s daily routine.
Yet, paradoxically, this seismic shift in attitude can produce exactly the opposite effect.
Taking full responsibility for everything that happens to you can significantly reduce your stress levels – by helping you to feel that you’re more in control of your life and your destiny. If you look at your life and identify any areas that aren’t working for you, the conventional knee-jerk reaction is to feel frustration and even a sense of helplessness in the face of the failure of your life to live up to your expectations.
The moment you take ownership of your life and assume full responsibility for whatever’s happening, you understand the simple equation that if you’re creating the situation, you can also change it. It’s a huge step forward in terms of personal empowerment. In place of blaming others and expecting someone else to make your life better, you take control and then you take action to make sure that things start to get better.
The victim mindset dilutes the human potential. By not accepting personal responsibility for our circumstances, we greatly reduce our power to change them.
- Steve Maraboli
When we consider the full implications of assuming absolute responsibility for everything that happens to us, it’s very tempting to dilute the full impact of the exercise by constructing excuses for situations that are obviously beyond our control. But this literal interpretation of the technique misses out on its deeper value. The real potential of this powerful, new mindset is that it transfers our energy from a passive approach of blaming external circumstances to a fully active mindset that encourages us to behave more purposefully. The motivation for assuming responsibility for everything that happens to us is to seal off any potential excuses we might be tempted to make when things don’t work out the way we wanted them to.
Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It’s not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument or your age that’s to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make. Period.
-??????Wayne Dyer
There are even examples of individuals assuming responsibility for the weather – which might seem to be an extreme interpretation of the technique. But the underlying principle is to create a universally inclusive approach to everything that happens to you – without exception. And the results can be fascinating. For example, you’re less likely to feel frustrated by delays and interruptions to your agenda. You’re far more likely to develop a stronger sense of focus and purpose. When you encounter obstacles, you’ll feel more inclined to deal with the problem rather than focus on the apparent injustice of the situation.
From passive to active. That’s the essence of assuming full responsibility for your life.
Breaking the old habit of blaming others for the quality of your life can introduce profound changes to your relationships. Holding our partners accountable for our feelings by blaming them when we feel upset is a corrosive behaviour that erodes the foundations of our close connections. This simple expedient can create seismic shifts in the way we relate to others. When you acknowledge that you are the only person on the planet who’s responsible for how you think and feel, you’ll recognise the absurdity of blaming others for your state of mind. You’ll regain the power to choose how you wish to feel. Because you’re the only one who can make those choices. And it is a truly liberating mindset to cultivate.
It is only when you take responsibility for your life
that you discover how powerful you truly are.
领英推荐
-??????Allanah Hunt
So, the real power in assuming absolute responsibility for your life and your future is that you grant yourself the capability to influence every aspect of your existence. Things no longer happen to you. You cause them to happen. There is a degree of personal empowerment in this simple shift in attitude that could easily astonish you. Make today the day when you take full responsibility for everything that happens to you and notice the difference this attitudinal shift makes to your life.
The secret ingredients to true happiness? Decisive optimism and personal responsibility.
-??????Amy Leigh Mercree
Are you ready right now for a completely fresh approach to life’s great adventure? Get in touch with us today for a free session to discover how the growing global movement for personal growth, success, change and empowerment can enhance your life!
Greg Parry created The Wellness Foundation and the Cognitive Empowerment Programs specifically to help people master their stress, overcome their limitations and explore the power of their true potential.
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