Is it your mother or father? Husband or wife? Brother or sister? Your boss? Politicians? Of course the answer is: YOU are in charge of YOUR future.
What do you want your future to look like? Do you want it to be better than the past? We cannot change the past, but we can change the future – starting today. In order for your future to be better, you need to be better.
Our belief about what is possible for us in the future is as important, if not more important, than our actual abilities. Each of us is capable of infinitely greater accomplishments than we allow ourselves to believe. It’s not our situation that determines what our future will be, it’s our reaction to our situation (today, tomorrow, and the next day) that will determine our results and our future.
Two quotes come to mind: “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.” And, “You can when you think you can.” The good news is you can control most of what will happen to you in the future. For example, you can control:
- Most of your free time
- How much energy you exert and toward what
- Your attitude, thoughts, and imagination
- How you look (your demeanor and non-verbal language)
- How you act (what you do)
- What you say (the words you choose)
- How you say things (your tone, inflection, and phrasing)
- Who you choose as role models
- The books you read and the messages you listen to
- Who you spend your leisure time with
- Your commitments – to yourself and others
- Your concerns and worries (or lack thereof)
- Your response to difficult times and difficult people
Seven things you can do to take charge of your future:
- Refuse to make excuses – See it, Own it, Solve it, and Do it
- Protect your attitude (tune out the negatives you encounter)
- Make the best possible use of your time (prioritize)
- Keep in good health through diet, exercise, proper rest and relaxation
- Read and/or listen to self-improvement material daily
- Associate with positive, successful people
- Set high goals and decide that you will accomplish them
You can and will take charge of your future when you think you can – and when you take positive, goal-directed action.