Unleash Your Potential and Thrive
Sometimes we feel like everyone has power other than us. In the publishing and entertainment worlds where I work, those forces could be agents, editors, publishers, distributors, the buying public, the critics, the list goes on. In other careers, there are similar perceived obstacles. To add insult, it also sometimes seems that we are in the least control of ourselves, that we are inadequate, that we don’t have what it takes.
None of that is true.
Take Control and Unlock Your Potential
Instead of letting outside factors seem to control us and our own self-image seem to demean us, it’s time that we decide to become, in effect, the CEOs of our own lives, because that’s really what we are. It’s not that we’re not doing well, and it’s not that we all had to start somewhere, some of us are just performing better than others of us, some of us are in different places in our careers, but we all can change and improve. In the ultimate sense, we can decide to make the difference. By shifting how we look at ourselves and the perceived world or forces around us, we can unlock our true potential; grow our lives, relationships, and careers; and move towards the success that, in many ways, we are keeping ourselves from obtaining simply by our wrong thinking. I truly believe most of us get in our way more than we help ourselves. I see this all the time from attendees at my speaking engagements who share with me their frustrations. Instead of focusing on all the things that are wrong, we need to focus instead on our strengths, what we can control, and our support systems, while at the same time experiencing gratitude and anticipation for all the great things that are waiting for us in our future. It’s time we took control of our lives and our careers and unlocked our own individual path to success by, trite as it may be, getting out of our own way.
So how are we going to do this?
Master Life’s Complex Realities
The first thing to realize is that the world is not going to change. It’s not you. It’s not going to change for anybody. You have absolutely no control over it. No one does. The winds will blow where the winds will blow. The rain will fall where it wishes. This understanding doesn’t mean you have to surrender to everything around you; it means that you understand life’s complex realities. You realize everyone has needs, not just you. It implies to you that the solution might be found if you can meet those needs (maybe by writing a great story or by completing a complex project). When you give up bashing the system that seems to be holding you down or your own inadequacies (real or perceived) that you think are holding you back, then it releases your emotional and mental strengths that you can use for your own personal development, by maybe seeing things around you and within you with more clarity, and you can then use these strengths for your own achievement and your inward personal development. Perception is the key here. We perceive we can change the world, but the only thing we can change is ourselves.
So how do we start?
Own Your Circumstances and Thrive
You have to change your reaction to circumstances, whether exterior or interior. If no one knows you and no one seems to want to take your calls, view that as a fact, not a block. It tells you where you need to work. It tells you a personal liability that you can shore up. If you are not well-versed in literature as a writer, for example, you shouldn’t throw up your hands, lament, and give up. You realize you need to make a change. You need to become versed. You make a plan for doing that. Then you follow through with that plan.
Take Control of Your Future Reality Now
Your response, not the reality, plays a pivotal role in controlling what your future reality will be. You have the power to change you, which will then ripple into the world around you. Each one of your liabilities that you denote can be viewed in one of two ways: they are roadblocks that bring you to a halt or cause you to settle for less than you want, or they can be byways that you must travel to get to the destination you desire. If you want to be a bestselling author, much of that is within your control (let’s not confuse bestselling author with mega-star, though, because this one requires that luck and circumstances are on your side – but you can set yourself up to sell a lot of books or whatever it is that is your passion). You have the power, if you’ll get out of your own way, to be resilient. Better than a large company, you can adapt quickly to change and circumstances. By answering only to yourself, you can choose to look at the world with anticipation and hope, not the gloom and doom of the masses. You can believe. Circumstances don’t rule you. All the obstacles you can think of don’t hold you back. You have the power to identify weaknesses and fix them. You, believe it or not, have the power.
Unlock Your Inner CEO and Take Charge
This is where I said you become the CEO of your own life. This is a mental and emotional shift in looking at yourself and your power. You have to be accountable, yes. Everything you do – positive or negative, productive or subversive – has causal effects. But the joy of this (what makes me wake up with excitement every morning) is knowing that I am in control of my life and my future, I am the captain of my ship, and I can choose the direction of my life, career, and happiness. Being your own CEO gives you the perspective to navigate through this outside world that you cannot control, allowing you to maneuver and refuel as needed, keeping your own goals at the forefront of all your choices (even your thinking and your emotions), to guide yourself where you want to go. Your vision for yourself is a strong thing. Positive or negative, you will go where that vision directs. Make sure you recognize and honor the power of that vision.
Grateful Mindset Leads to Limitless Opportunities
Rather than looking at all the things that are wrong, power for me comes from being grateful, for looking at all the things that I have and also realizing that, for all the things I do not have, there is a path that I can take to remedy or garner those desires. Having gratitude can transform you. It makes you anticipate the good. It keeps you focused. Having gratitude and positive anticipation keeps your spirits running high. People notice it. By doing so, the world does not change you; you change the world of others. This is when the doors will begin to open that you never thought would happen.
Build Your Success with a Strong Support System
Focus, then, on your strengths and the support that you do have around you. Build that support. Make a list of the additional pillars you need. Maybe it is greater education. Maybe it is more connections. Maybe it is more support from your friends and family. Maybe it is all of the above. Develop a plan and build that strength and support. As you move forward, you’ll feel yourself rise. You’ll feel your self-confidence grow. Success will then continue to propel success. And it is not because the world changed. Remember, the world is not changing. It is because you change. You put yourself out into the world, you fill the niches that only you can fill. The change is you. Success is you. You have it in you. We all do.
In Summation
The world is not going to change for anyone. We get the feeling that we are not in control, but we are…of ourselves. We may not be able to control the world, but we can certainly control ourselves and our reactions to it. We need to look within for strength. We need to get out of our own way. We need to make plans for self-improvement and advancement, and follow through and then, the world will not change, but ours will. We will consciously create our support system to give us the pillars we need for success. We will be grateful and nurture the things that we already have. We will set the vision we want and the vision we want is what will eventually be.
Like this blog? Sign up for Clay’s newsletter offering encouragement, skills, resources, and knowledge relating to a balanced life while writing, marketing, promoting, and living. https://claystafford.com/newsletter
