Mind & Body Fitness Coach
But are you accidentally controlling it? Are you blown around like a leaf, at the mercy of the wind? Or are you consciously controlling your life? Are you aware that you have a choice or of the impact your choices have? Do you know the difference between the two and what can you do to make the shift?
Listen to today’s podcast and discover the answers!
This seems easy enough to answer. Many people think of personal accountability as accepting responsibility for the things you do. Some tend to narrow it more by thinking personal accountability is related only to things that they or others do wrong—being accountable for one’s mistakes. But it’s more than that. Much, much more.
Let me explain why.
Personal accountability means accepting responsibility for your life, Your Whole Life. This might seem extreme. It might make you uncomfortable and set off alarms in your mind. After all, haven’t things been done to you by others? Hasn’t life thrown you a few curveballs, maybe even blindsided you a time or two? Haven’t things happened to you that were outside your control?
The answer to these questions is undoubtedly “Yes!”
So how are you accountable for those things? And doesn’t that mean you can’t be accountable for your whole life?
The answer is, of course you aren’t responsible for what others, life, or nature do to you. You have no control over others. You have no control over nature or the weather or random acts of chaos. And yet you are still accountable for your whole life because you have the power of choice! You choose what these events mean to you.
Your actions related to any event—or series of events—are based on the meaning you’ve assigned. If someone hurt you and you decided to never be a victim again because of that, then that’s the meaning you’ve given the event. Your actions are going to be very different from the person who was hurt and decided to never trust anyone again. If you survived a severe accident and that gave you a new appreciation for life, your actions are going to different from the person who survived a similar tragedy and now lives in fear.
Through choosing the meaning of things that happen to you, by being accountable for your life, you create your future.
Okay. That’s great. But how does personal accountability equal freedom?
I’m glad you asked!
Understanding that your choices create your future–and that the meaning you give events impacts your actions—allows you to realize that no matter what happens, you get to choose what you’re going to do with it.
You get to choose. You choose your thoughts. You choose the meaning. You choose your actions. You choose the path of your future. No one can ever take away your power of choice!
That’s Freedom!
If there’s something in your past or present that’s bothering you, try asking yourself these two questions:
“What else could this mean?”
“What good can come from this?”
Be honest with yourself when asking these and open yourself to possibilities you hadn’t considered before. You can even write down your answers. I’ve found that helps in examining all the possibilities.
These questions allow you to re-frame the thing that bothers you.
For example: I was at a movie with my wife and daughter last night. The person behind me kept accidentally bumping the back of my seat. I could have chosen to feel angry or cheated at these interruptions to the flow of the experience. I might have confronted the person behind me and asked them to stop. But I could tell it wasn’t deliberate. So instead of introducing conflict, I chose to use it as a chance to improve my patience.
The movie was wonderful. I enjoyed it much more than I would have if I’d chosen to feel angry. And I grew as a person. That’s a win-win! Learn more about how you can feel, hear, and see the benefits of Personal Accountability in your life! Visit 180-U.com today.
Always Remember:
You Are The Master of Your Destiny!
Roland
A Life by Design is a life that’s consciously shaped, a life where you decide where you’re going, who you want to be, and then you make it happen.
Many people live like marionettes. They let society, peers, work, addictions, history, and many other factors pull the strings of their lives. They never try to shape their lives because they learned to believe they have no control over their destiny. Since they believe it, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They become cause and effect mechanisms, living in a reactionary state instead of a proactive state.
How can you live in a reactionary state and consciously shape your life?
The truth is, we are all masters of our destiny. We all have the power to choose the meaning we give the events in our lives. The meaning we give things shapes us and shapes our lives because it’s our personal reality. Our personal reality shapes the thoughts we have, the choices we make, and the actions we take. That shapes our destiny.
Some people would rather let other things—people, events, chemicals, society, their personal history—design their lives. They’d rather sit back and say, “It’s not my fault. Look at everything that’s happened to me. That’s what caused me to be how I am.”
But not you!
One of the first things I learned when I started on the path of personal transformation was that I needed to have an idea of who I wanted to become. So I spent a few days writing a personal blueprint, a master design for my life. Then I read that to myself every morning and night. I read it out loud and focused on how I’d feel when it was reality.
In time I discovered that I was becoming the person I wanted to be. I still have areas I’m working on. I still make mistakes. And in truth, as I step up to every new level of awareness, I discover ways I can continue to be a better person. Then I take those lessons, learn from them, and grow.
A Life by Design is a process. It’s a journey of evaluating where you are and growing to where you want to be. Then reaching your goal and discovering how much more you’re capable of. Yes, it’s work. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. And it’s a wonderfully fulfilling process!
http://bit.ly/BigPictureWorksheets
http://bit.ly/TraitsListWorksheets
Download both sets. Fill them out in the present tense, as if you’re already the person you describe and as if you already have the things you desire. Then read them every morning and night and you’re on your way to a Life by Design!
You Are The Master of Your Destiny!
Roland
I’ve been listening to an audio book. And while I appreciate and agree with most of what the author says, I did a triple-take when he said that it’s very hard to be happy because there are a lot of things you must do to feel happy.
I disagree wholeheartedly with that stance.
One of the things I’ve learned on my path, which has been very rocky at times, is that happiness is a choice. And to me, it’s an easy choice.
It’s as simple as this: Find joy in the way your life is right now. That means think of the things that are how you want them to be. Think of the things you’re grateful for. Think of the beauty of each moment as it happens. Live in the present instead of anchored to the past or searching for the future.
Those are just a few examples of things you could choose to feel unhappy about. But the important thing to understand is that while feeling sad is natural at times, wallowing in sadness isn’t. Wallowing in sadness is like complaining that a cactus is hurting you while squeezing it harder and harder…
So if you’re feeling sad, thank the feeling for the message it’s giving you because it’s an action signal—a signal that you must take action! Then ask yourself what you can do to either change the situation or how you feel about the situation.
You MIGHT:
No matter what your situation there is always something you can do to shift your focus from what you lack to what you have. That means there’s always some action you can take to help you focus on happiness.
That’s right, You Can Always Choose Happiness!
Because…
You are The Master of Your Destiny!
Roland
Copyright © 2014 Roland Byrd — All Rights Reserved
Do you have a gift or talent that you might use to help others?
Are you using it?
If not, why not?
Are you afraid that you aren’t good enough or that your idea isn’t good enough?
I’d like to share a personal story that shows how I overcame the fear of using my gifts to help others.
As I wrote my first Self-Help Book, I had times when I thought, Who do you think you are to write a book to help others?
When that happened, I always redirected my thoughts to how much good my eBook will do and how much it will help others. But the thoughts kept coming back.
Then one day it hit me and the question, “Did God made a mistake giving me this knowledge and the ability to help others with it?” popped into my mind.
I didn’t have to ponder that for long, “No. I believe God knew what he was doing.” was my answer.
Next came this tough realization, “How selfish and small am I acting if I choose to withhold my gifts from the world?” And that was followed by, “Who am I to tell God he was wrong in giving me these gifts?”
For me, that was the end of any doubts about whether I was worthy to use my gifts to help others or whether I should pay any heed to fear. At that point I knew that even if I only touched one life, at least one person was better off for my efforts.
And that’s all I need.
Now, whether you believe in God or any higher power is beside the point. All you have to do is this; ask yourself the question, “Am I acting selfish and small by withholding my gifts from the world?”
Are you?
Only you can answer that question. But if you think about it, I’m sure you’ll realize at least one thing you can do to use your natural talents to help others.
Helping others can be as simple as posting an inspirational story or poem on your blog. It could be teaching someone how to do something. It might be singing for a friend or neighbor. It could be speaking to groups of people. It can be writing a book. It might be inventing something. It might even be giving a kind word to someone, acting in a movie that makes people laugh, or recording an album that lifts people’s spirits. The list goes on and on.
Try this. If you feel stymied about how you can help others, then right before you go to bed kindly ask your subconscious, “Please help me discover how I can help others.” Then go to sleep. The next morning or sometime the next day you will have inspiration about what you can do.
Now, this next bit is important. When you get that inspiration, Act On It! This teaches you to trust your instinct and it tells your subconscious that you appreciate its efforts.
So, the next time you feel inspired to do something that will positively touch the lives of others, do it. And if you hear the small voice of fear or doubt whispering in your mind, just ask yourself the following questions:
If you do these things, you’ll start to experience success in your life like you’ve never imagined.
You are The Master of Your Destiny!
Roland
Copyright ©, 2012, 2014 Roland Byrd. All rights reserved.
#WithholdingGifts #Success #Passion #BelieveInYourself
