“In order to get through an impossible situation, you don’t need the reflexes of a Grand Prix driver, the muscles of Hercules, or the mind of Einstein. You simply need to know what to do.” ~Anthony Greenbank
Have you ever blamed any one for the outcome that you’re producing in your life? Has the thought of … “if not for this person I would have become this, do that or achieved a certain result.”
Well if that is you, it means that you have been playing the victim game. You are losing your power to other people and you have not really faced the situation that you face in life head on. We’ve all been in this position but if you are reading this perhaps today is the day for you to take up that challenge. The challenge is simple. If you can think, and you have feelings and take action you can take 100% responsibility for the results you get from life. You may have probably know it intellectually but you can to know it emotionally and let it become the way you DO life.
You can change your mind at any time and you have the freedom to change your mind. This is in itself a God given ability. But most of us fail to make use of this power we have … being able to take decision. The POWER of decision is given to each one of us to enable us change directions, especially, when we need to pause and ponder over a difficult situation. You have this ability every time but just like any skill it gets better when you start using it to leverage the benefits you can get from life.
If you can think, have feeling and take action you have the ability to make decisions at any given time. But most of us fail ability that has been freely given to us. We are being bombarded by a range of stimulus from our environments at any given time. We have the freedom to choose our response to each of these signals. We can decide to be reactive to these signals or proactive. In his book, 7 Habits of Effective People, Stephen Covey mentioned four natural endowments that have been freely give to each one of us from birth.
The Four Human Endowments
· Self-Awareness – examining thoughts, moods and behaviour
· Imagination – visualising beyond experience and present reality
· Conscience – understanding right and wrong and following personal integrity
· Independent will – acting independent of external influence
The above elements – the four endowments s helps us to be focused in the choices we need to make and take decisions. But in taking decision we need to know the 3 things that control our decision making process.
§ Decision premises
§ Decision processes
§ Decision issues and objective
The above three decision elements control your destiny.
Decision premise has to do with your decision about what to focus on
Decision process has to with the decision about what things mean to you
Decision issues and objective deals with what to do to create the results you desire
In his book, “How to Get from Where You are to Where You Want to Be”, Jack Canfield describe a formula that describes in a nutshell the battle of control that face each and every one of us. The formula is:
E + R = O Event + Response = Outcome
Understanding the working of the above equation is the key to every experience we gain from events that come into our lives. How we respond to any given situation determines the outcome we get. Remember the true meaning of responsibility … our ability to respond to any given event. How we respond or didn’t determine the results we get. Are we reactive or proactive in our response? Are our actions effective enough to produce the result we desire or are we just acting on share impulsivity of the moment?
The answers to these questions are important to the progress we make and therefore our ultimate destiny. In a short it is important that you note this:
Control = Responsibility
Responsibility = Control
I know you’ll be asking why bother with the above idea. Well, if you understand the implication of the above idea and apply it to every area of your life, then you are determined and committed to becoming responsible for the thing you create or didn’t create in your life. Your thought, feelings and behaviours create the results you have or didn’t have in your life. The moment you take a decision, you unleash the law of cause and effect into operation. Ultimately, the outcome of such decisions is based on culmination of your habits which you have cultivated over the years on consistent basis. Therefore if you want to change your performance and therefore change your life you have to take up the challenge to change your outcome and take charge to take the action that will lead to your desired life.
Decide today that everything you think, say, and do become intentional and aligned with your purpose, your values, and your goals.
To put this ides succinctly, in the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
About the author
Benjamin S C Ugoji, an empowerment expert with SelfGrowth and the author of Success Mastery Education. He is has written articles, programs and books in the area of leadership, management, entrepreneurship and personal development. He is the founder of Progress Path – Mastery Education. He writes for Hubpages and Scribd. You can contact him through his email via this link.
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