Stop Giving Away Your Power - Day 29 of 365 Days to a Better You

Happy Kansas Day to my readers back in Kansas!

I’ll admit, the concept of taking back control of your life might sound a little cliché. But I promise there is a profound point to be made here—one I need you to hear loudly and clearly.

Our society constantly bombards us with messaging that tells us to look outside of ourselves for both the source of our challenges and their solutions. But the truth is this: no politician, no famous celebrity, no amazing athlete, and not even your family members or your dog have more control over the outcome of your life than you do. No one.

Where Are You Spending Your Energy?

Ask yourself a serious question: Did you spend more time today idolizing (or despising) someone else than you did building your own dreams and bettering yourself?

If so, my friend, that’s a problem. If a famous public figure, a trending pop star, or the fate of your favorite sports team decides your mood, stalls your progress, or knocks you off your game... that’s a problem.

The people you are obsessing over—whether it's a politician, an entertainer, your boss, or your in-laws—don't have to live the life you end up creating when you spend most of your time focusing on them instead of yourself.

The Ultimate Prescription

The late Wayne Dyer used to tell a great story about this. Back in the days when he was a practicing therapist, patients would frequently come in and complain that their kids stressed them out, or that their parents never gave them a fair chance.

He would jokingly, but pointedly, respond: "Okay. I'm going to write a prescription for your kids and your father, and then you'll get better."

When you put it that way, we can all see how preposterous it is. It usually elicited a big laugh from his audiences! But the reality is that most of us, most of the time—and all of us, some of the time—waste our energy wanting someone else to change so that we can finally be happy or successful.

The Power is Yours

The only person who has that level of control over your life is you.

The minute you truly understand that external forces and public figures have next to nothing to do with your ultimate outcome, you can finally get on with the important business at hand: building your own life. It's a powerful realization, and we are all much better served the quicker we see it.

Have a fantastic day, and I will talk to you again soon.

Ray