Discover your choices and own your success!

You have choices. Too often we react to life and blame people, places and things for getting in the way of our happiness and success. The truth is the only thing in the way of your happiness and success is you. Your attitude, behavior and belief system has a greater impact on your life than anything or anyone else.

The good news about accepting responsibility for your success is you begin to influence your life and career positively. You’re no longer at the mercy of your boss, your co-workers or customers- you’re directing your life.

Recognizing your choices helps you make smart decisions, and follow a new course of action when a choice you made is no longer working for you.

The idea of taking ownership of your happiness and success is easier said than done. Your behavior and belief system has been shaped over the years by internal and external stress and pressure, and it takes months or years of practicing positive behaviors to create change.

Maybe you are lucky enough to have experienced positive internal and external influences and attitudes and you are already living a life taking ownership of your choices. That’s great- keep it up!

Whether or not you are already aware of your choices and responsible to yourself, you have to keep practicing these principles to live the life of your dreams and enjoy an accomplished, fun and rewarding work-life.

Taking ownership of your work and your life can come in many forms. If you stop and reflect on your attitudes, you can re-adjust your perspective and begin to take responsibility of your experience.

Start taking responsibility for yourself using “I” statements.

Using “I” statements is a tried and true method of conflict resolution and it also applies to all your thoughts and conversations about your life.

Listen to yourself talk about your career to co-workers, family and friends. Do you say “I feel”, “I want”, and “I am”? Use “I” statements to own your thoughts, feelings and emotions.

“I” statements give you power over your own experience so you can do something about it.

Take responsibility for your life.

You can’t be all things for all people. You probably can’t even be most things for some people. If a situation is not your responsibility, don’t assume responsibility for it.

You are only responsible for yourself in the workplace. From manager to assistant, your job is to do your own work first and foremost. If someone else isn’t doing their part, it’s not your job to pick up the slack. Nor is it your responsibility to police anyone else at work.

You will find greater satisfaction and success at work if you stay out of other people’s work and mind your own.

Tell your story.

When you tell someone about your day, do you find yourself going into great detail about the actions of others? Avoid telling stories about other people’s behavior. You can’t control what anyone else does or says and focusing on someone else’s influence over your day gives your time and energy to someone else.

Starting today, when you talk about your day focus on you. What did you do? How did you contribute? What are your ideas?

Focus on solutions.

Career success is built on solutions. Identify a problem or need in your business and find a solution. Don’t complain about the problem, be the one to step up and solve a problem.

Doing your assigned work is not enough to achieve your goals and dreams. Tackle a tricky problem and you’ll build confidence, gain experience, show initiative and you might even create a new process or product that saves your company time or generates profit.

Discover your choices.

Ask yourself if what you’re doing is working out for you. If something in your life isn’t working, you have a choice. You have a choice about your attitude, perceptions and your action and reactions.

If you’re stuck, make a list of every possible choice you can make from the unlikely to the productive. If you are unemployed, your list might include everything from “become a hobo” or “become a street performer” to “get a part time job” or “join a networking group”.

Making a list of your choices will help you recognize that you have choices. You aren’t stuck. You may not have the choice you want, but you do have choices.

Taking ownership of your success and embracing your choices will improve the quality of your work-life and create opportunities in your career.

I’d love to hear from you! Please share a choice you’ve made today. Use an “I” statement to tell me about your day. What is your story?

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