“For things to change, you have to change. For things to get better, you have to get better. For things to improve, you have to improve. When you grow, everything in your life grows with you.” Jim Rohn
My first step was in realizing that I needed to take responsibility for my life! A shocking truth, indeed! Up to that point, it had been easier to blame others, the economy, the weather, the marketplace, the industry, the government, etc., for my misfortune.
Take responsibility
Now, I had no choice but to accept that during all those years of negative experiences I had been the common denominator. ME! No one else would be coming to rescue me. MY LIFE was my responsibility alone. For some reason, we blame others for circumstances that are entirely within our control, such as failed relationships, poor career choices, limited earning potential and compromised health.
So why do we blame others? It’s because owning poor choices and taking personal responsibility is hard. But I urge you to stop running. Take a look in the mirror and say, “This is all part of my experience, and it’s all good because I’m learning”.
My dear friends remember, that in order to see changes and results in your life, you must first understand that everything comes from “within”. Jim Rohn, one of the pioneers in personal development, said it best: “ For things to change, YOU! Have to change”!
You are in control
Hearing that hit me really hard at first, but then, I discovered a way forward through the mess; and the good news is that you will too. Accepting that you are the creator of your own life will cause everything to shift. Powerlessness will give way to the realization that you can decide who you want to be and how you are going to take charge of your life. You are not a victim anymore. You are in control and limited only by the bounds of your imagination.
My second step was to shift my mindset. This meant releasing previously held “truths” and unlearning most everything I had accepted before. The more I discovered about myself, the greater was the realization that the things I thought were true, were actually wrong. Think about it, from our youth, we’ve been told what to do and what to believe. Daily bombardment from the media with its constant programming, has influenced and shaped our perception of the world.
So how could I really create a world of my own design when my “world” up to that point had been so heavily influenced by other people during my entire life? I had to first admit that “my beliefs” were actually never mine! They belonged to someone else. With that realization came the start of letting go, to make room for my own.