Are You Better Off than You Were Four Years Ago?

While we’re talking about politics, let’s not talk about politics. Instead, let’s talk about the only thing standing between you and success: You!

I have a friend. He is always watching, listening, or reading the news. My friend chooses some terrible sources. All the news is negative, and it’s sensationalized. More still, it’s all divisive and political. But that’s not the worst of it.

It consumes his psychic energy and it makes him negative. He feels powerless to do anything about what he sees, what he hears, and what he listens to. The truth of the matter is that he is powerless. He has no control over who wins the Presidency of the United States (a job I still can’t imagine people actually compete to win), whether or not Iran becomes a nuclear threat, the outcome of national healthcare, women’s health issues, a dysfunctional Congress, or the countless other problems we face.

If you put garbage in, only garbage comes out. Better to put good things in.

There is only one thing my friend has any control over, and that is himself. The same is true for you. If you aren’t doing better than you were doing four years ago, then you need to change what you are doing.

Here is what you control, and how it makes a difference:

Your Focus: You control what you give your focus and attention to. You can choose to focus on all of the negative events that are occurring around you. Honestly, it’s been the end of times since the beginning of time. The effort and energy you expend worrying about things outside of your control is always better spent on things within your control, or at least within your sphere of influence.

If you don’t control your focus, there are plenty of people who will willingly exploit your attention for their personal gain. You have to choose to focus on the positive, your potential (which is greater than you imagine), and your opportunities (which are more than you imagine).

Put good things in. If you do, good things will come out. It’s how that works.

Your Actions: If you aren’t better off than four years ago, what do you need to do to be better off? You control the actions that you take. If you need new skills, you control whether or not you go and get those skills. If you need a different job, a different line of work, or a do-over, you have to take those actions. New actions produce new results.

If you don’t take action to be better off, whatever that requires of you, it isn’t going to happen. Don’t wait for the President, the Congress, your employer, your spouse, or your mother (she loves you, but you have to make it happen).

If you would be better off than you were four years ago, you have to focus your energy, your attention, and your actions on making that so. Focusing anywhere else will ensure that you are not any better off four years from now, regardless of all else that happens during that time.

Questions

Who has the greatest ability to determine how well you are doing four years from now?

Who is responsible for where you are now?

Aren’t you really happier now that you know that your happiness and your success are within your own control? That these things don’t really belong to someone else?

What will you do to make certain you are where you want to be four years from now?