“Who’s in charge here?”
by Motivational Keynote Speaker Jean Gatz
Coincidence… Luck… Karma… Fate… Chance… Words tossed around a lot lately, often as excuses for bad choices, but rarely as explanations for good ones. When it comes to your future success, there are two ways to look at life.
You can feel powerless. It’s out of your hands so you sit back and react to everything that comes your way. OR… you can feel powerful. You believe that you get to choose your attitude and behavior when facing any situation. So you choose to ACT rather than REACT to whatever life sends your way.
We all know that life isn’t always fair – especially when it comes to dealing with change. You may have to make tough choices to be in healthy relationships, work on your marriage, raise your children in a safe environment, care for your aging parents and struggle with the ongoing challenges of finances, health issues, job security, your career and your future. And let’s not forget dealing with difficult customers, colleagues and coworkers!
In your struggles, don’t forget one important fact. There is seldom a circumstance in which you are completely powerless – unless you choose NOT to take action. TAKING CHARGE means looking for solutions instead of making excuses, solving problems instead of complaining and blaming others, asking for help if you need it, choosing to deal with the situation to the best of your ability and being accountable for your choices.
Finding your power and taking charge in the midst of chaos is a big responsibility. And it’s hard work, too! You may feel overwhelmed and not up to the task. But what’s the alternative? Letting someone else or something else decide what your future should look like? That’s not power!
The term “power” often gets a bad rap because some people abuse it. If you look at the definition you’ll see words like influence, strength, energy, vigor, force, might, valor, courage and bravery. Not exactly wishy-washy words! To STAND OUT from the Crowd in a positive way, you must be in charge of your own destiny. Then there will never be any doubt as to how you will answer this question: “Who’s in charge here?”
