Here’s How You Can Start Leading Your Life
For a moment, I want you to pause and ask yourselves these 3 questions.
1. Am I intentionally creating the life of my design?
2. Am I actively leading my life in the direction towards the big vision I have for myself?
3. Or, have I recently found myself passively drifting through life, just going through the motions?
As professionals who have dreams, goals and desires within our hearts, these are some important questions we ought to pause and ask ourselves from time to time, so we can see if we are on the right track or if we have drifted off course. The reason this is very important to do is because, we are the only ones who have the power and are responsible for what happens in our lives. The results we wish to see in our lives are all up to us. Thus, we have to be intentional about the direction where we are leading our lives. Just like the captain of a ship, we must periodically pause to check our “bearings” and “compass” to ensure that we are heading in the right direction.
One of the things that I’ve realized about life is that if we aren’t intentional about creating the life of our design, then we will start drifting and end up living a life by default; and guess what friend, no one just drifts their way to a desirable location. Similarly, no one just drifts their way to success.
Leadership expert John C. Maxwell states it this way, “anything worthwhile is always uphill”. In other words, if there is a desired outcome we wish to see in our lives, it will require intentional effort. Thus, we can’t afford to take a passive approach towards life. Rather, we have to make the bold decision to lead our lives.
With this in mind, here are 4 ways we can start leading our lives.
1. Use past failures, shortcomings and experiences as stepping stones for growth
Failure is not an identity. It is an event that occurs in life, which provides us with the opportunity to grow and learn. Failure doesn’t happen to us. Rather, it happens for us. It indicates to us that there is something new which we must learn. When we accept, embrace and confront failure, a door is then opened up for us to learn many valuable life lessons which can aid us as we seek to move forward into the next season of our life.
Persons who refuse to lead their life, try to run from their failures and instead of taking responsibility, they allow their past failures and shortcomings to hold them back. These persons become paralyzed by their own experiences, thus hindering them from moving forward.
On the other hand, persons who lead their lives, rise to the occasion and look for the opportunities and the learning lessons found within failure. If you too want to start leading your life well, take some time to reflect on your past experiences and see how you can them as stepping stones for grow.
2. Let go of the need to live up to the expectations of others
When we become overly consumed with living up to the expectations of others, it hinders us from being focused on what we’ve been called to do. When our focus is on simply pleasing others, it is as if we are giving control and power over to another individual. Consequently, it prevents us from being authentically who we were designed to be. The person who allows the opinions of others to solely dictate their life’s actions and decisions, is a person who is imprisoned and enslaved to the expectations of others.
To lead our lives in the direction we envision for ourselves, we must learn to let go of the need to live up to other’s expectations. Why? Because there will always be people who will try to place their limiting beliefs onto you.
3. Find & embrace opportunities that will stretch you beyond your comfort zone.
The greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is today’s comfort. If we want to lead our lives well, we must search for and embrace new opportunities that will stretch us beyond our current comfort level. The reason this is important is because, growth often begins where comfort ends. Growth and comfort do not coexist together.
For us to reach the vision we have identified for ourselves, oftentimes we will have to embrace discomfort. But, here is the good thing, the temporary discomfort cannot be compared to the satisfaction that will be experienced when we see our growth and how far we’ve come. The moments when we are growing are the moments when we feel most alive.
4. Take responsibility for your life and stop being a participant in the “blame” game.
Don’t focus your energy on trying to blame others, because it doesn’t solve your situation. Remember, "where focus goes, energy flows"- Tony Robbins.
Thus, a better solution is to accept the reality for what it is and then take ownership for how you will move forward. When you accept responsibility, then and only then are you best able to devise and create a strategy to bring about a positive change in your circumstances.
Furthermore, taking responsibility also allows you the opportunity to let go of the past and any negative feelings which you may have held on to, and it provides you the opportunity to focus on creating the future you desire.
At this present moment, you have no control over the things which may have happened previously, however, you do have control over the decisions you make today, which can create an empowering future which you will have tomorrow. Therefore, if you want to lead your life well, take ownership for your life and your future.
When you do these 4 things, I can guarantee you that your life will start to go in a whole new direction.
Happy sailing captain!!
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