Control what you can.
We live in a complex world with many intertwining parts. Thinking we have control over every single thing that goes on around us is insanity. The unknown plagues many for good reason. We always have to know “why?”. When this “why?” isn’t answered adequately, many panic and look for reasons to cope with the reality they face. With so much information available at all times in this digital age, it becomes more and more difficult to focus on what’s in front of us. Our brain’s get hijacked and we’re tempted to care and give emotion to things that we will never be able to change. Instead of wandering off on these scattered tangents, look at the bigger picture and understand what you can actually control in each moment.
Say what you want about religion but after reading the Bible for the first time cover to cover last year, I’ve gained an enhanced sense of calm and understanding about everyday life. When I was younger, religion was mostly about the pageantry and social gatherings. I got baptized and confirmed like the rest of my friends and community at the time and had parties with my family afterward. We would go to church for Christmas and some weddings and funerals. The actual connection to God and understanding of what religion can do for your spirit was heavily lacking. After getting a better grasp of faith and what I was reading, the dots started connecting and I realized that there was really nothing to worry about. We have to wake up everyday and complete our mission. The rest is in God’s hands. This faith and belief will give you the strength to carry on in the darkest of times. Every moment here in this world is a gift and should be treated as such until we return to dust.
It’s safe to say that when we’re born right up until late childhood we don’t have much choice over anything at all. We are taken care of and guided by parents or guardians and raised with their habits and patterns intertwining with our own early experiences of reality. It’s not until a bit later in life that we realize there are many choices to make on a daily basis. As we progress through our early adult years we have gone through many experiences, done many things and met many people. We develop patterns and habits of our own. We have strengths, weaknesses, passions, vices, ambitions and many views. As the years go by, it’s important to start focusing on what really matters to you personally. How do you want to earn a living? What environments do you want to be in? Which people do you want to be around? The more questions we start asking, the more we can narrow in on what really drives us. What combination of actions, habits, thoughts and relationships will allow us to live a great life that’s in accordance with our spirit and values? Everyone has their own unique experiences and answers to these questions and it’s up to each one of us to find them.
Learn how to lead from the ground up.
It goes without saying that some people are what we would call “natural born leaders”. They burn with a fire that brings them to the top of the world and it seems as though they were destined for greatness. Even though some people might be more prone to leadership than others, we can all take note here and start by leading our own lives. Modifying habits to suit our visions. Working hard towards our goals and taking accountability for our actions. Having a word and sticking to it no matter what. Leading the people around us and becoming a voice for those that seem lost. All of this is possible when we realize that leadership is a quality that can be learned and applied just like anything else.
Even if you’ve always followed the herd for most of your life, understand what needs to be done in this moment to move the goalposts forward. What areas of life can you improve in? Health, wealth, relationships? Think in general terms at first and then narrow in on the specifics from there. Apply the basics daily and refine your systems as time goes on.
You’ll notice that as you gain results in certain areas, people will start to ask you how you did so. What’s funny about this is that even if you know information that can benefit others in some way, they won’t take it seriously unless you have some sort of proof of application yourself. I remember telling family members about exercise and diet changes that could make them healthier when I was 20-30 pounds overweight. Most of the time they just looked at me and dismissed the information or laughed it off and rightfully so. Even though the knowledge was there, I wasn’t applying it properly. I was seeking validation from trying to teach others things that I did not have first hand experience with. A fraud ,in essence, even though my intentions were well meaning. Now that I’m in much better shape physically, I have them asking me what I’ve been doing to lose weight and look healthier. The universe has a way of giving you what you actually deserve at the appropriate times.
Talk through action.
Words are great. They convey messages and simplify communication for everybody across the world. The problem is that the tongue can be very deceiving. Safe to say we’ve all lied to some capacity at some point in time. Some more than others and in a much worse fashion but we’ve all been in a situation where we’ve said we would do something and we didn’t come through. It’s important to recognize how important the validity of your word really is. It’s fine to make mistakes but if you’re constantly making false promises and getting caught in your lies, your reputation will suffer greatly. Make sure to lead with action and use your word as something that people learn to take seriously. What you say is what you’ll do. The more you effectively execute things, the more dependable you become. Others will trust your skills and judgment and will look to you for guidance.
Before trying to take over the world, start taking care of yourself and making sure you’re the leader of your life.
Cut out the noise and avoid being thrown off course by outside forces.
Help yourself and then help others.
Lead by example and do it because you believe in your mission.
Life is better with purpose.