Own Your Life and Outcomes

People are scared right now, I get that. I am too. Fear is a natural human response to uncertainty. But it’s also an amazing time to grow.

Here are some leadership behaviors that serve at all times when you are looking to increase your internal happiness and external circumstances, especially during challenging times:

• Cease blaming anyone else. Stop looking to pin your fear and circumstances on others. That may satisfy your bruised ego and deepest fears, but it will not change your circumstances. Justice is a temporary salve. Personal power ONLY resides in absolute personal responsibility (APR).
• Stop feeling sorry for yourself. That just keeps you stuck and never moves you forward. Ever. Pity and sympathy kill.
• Identify what YOU can do differently. Implement immediately. Like, without thinking. Fear grows with time. Move. Your. Ass. Militantly.
• Stop making excuses. Excuses just reinforce stagnancy and your current state. Your mind will fight for the known, but you must move beyond your mind’s excuses and justifications. FYE (f*ck your excuses!). Your ability to grow will only ever be as powerful as your mental discipline. There are plenty of reasons to make excuses right now. But don’t. Be cautious of the urge to “reason away” from your results.
• Look for the opportunity. In every challenge or crisis, there are opportunities. Find them and pounce. Attack them like a warrior. The mind will convince you there are no opportunities. The mind lies. Open your eyes. If you don’t see the opportunity, you’re not looking.
• Embrace criticism. Criticism means you’ve found fertile ground for new opportunities, and are challenging accepted norms, beliefs, and the exact reason why you’re stuck. Look to increase the amount of criticism you receive. That’s where opportunity is most plentiful. People will fight and resist you until they see that you’re right. Then they’ll admire you for your courage.
• Grow. Don’t be afraid to outgrow your current life or circumstances. Don’t be afraid to outgrow and lose the people and things around you now. They do not need to be with you where you want to go. Growth is more about shedding the old than discovering the new.
• Enjoy the ride. How you experience the journey is ultimately how you’ll experience your success and new circumstances, so enjoy every second along the way. It’s only a struggle if you refuse to find joy in the experience. Embrace it all!

Remember, results matter and are YOUR responsibility. Don’t blame the government, others, or Covid-19. There are solutions where most will make excuses. If you really are committed, you’ll solve instead of justifying.

There are no legitimate justifications to those who are committed. Own your life and outcomes. You are creating them whether you claim them or not.

The successful make adjustments while the unsuccessful make excuses.

Which one will you lean into today?