You can’t be in absolute control—but that doesn’t mean you’re helpless either
 

There’s so much uncertainty around at the moment it’s hard not to drown in it. People generally dislike uncertainty. They focus most of their attention on the risks they take and the troubles they face. We humans are such fearful creatures. One whiff of trouble and we let our minds run wild, imagining all kinds of pessimistic and terrible outcomes.

This may be understandable, but it’s never helpful. Don’t let your fears control you. Don’t imagine so many problems you become distracted and too stressed to find a way out. Look carefully at one option at a time, follow it through and see where it leads. Then take another option and do the same, directing your attention where you want it to go. If you don’t let your fears make you confused, you can stay focused on the possibilities and avoid a good deal of the anxiety and stress others will be suffering.

Always make decisions consciously

When someone asks you to make a decision, you’re going to bring all your prejudices, opinions, likes, dislikes, fears, hopes, antagonisms and knowledge along. Your mind is like a committee—and a pretty bad tempered and cantankerous one too! Like all committees, your mind has some ‘members’ (your habitual attitudes and knee-jerk opinions) who hog the floor and shout twice as loud as the next person. If you let them, they’ll rule your life.

What you need to do is ignore the ranting and get through to the real issues: what is happening, why is it happening and what are the options for dealing with it. You can usually at least influence what happens if you take charge of your life instead of letting things run automatically.

You must step outside the fog of habitual thoughts and opinions. See them for what they are—just automatic thinking. They’re not the truth, even if you believe they’re true. There’s always more you don’t know and change you don’t expect. First you must understand the causes behind the outcome and the effect each one produces. The only sure way to change anything is to change what is causing it to be the way it is.

The three things that will always transform your day are:

• Stay awake and make sure you make the choices that matter. The more consciously you choose your actions, words and opinions, the more influence you will have over your life at work (and everywhere else).
• Know yourself and act on that knowledge. These are the two most basic steps in discovering and realizing your full potential. Discover everything about yourself that you can—then act on what you find.
• Be clear that every choice is an opportunity to change. Every decision contains the possibility of altering the future. If you ignore chances to influence your life, you must put up with whatever comes along.

Accept full accountability for your life

Are you just going with the flow—doing what you’ve always done or falling in with the prevailing fashion? Are you truly making your own choices, whatever you may claim? Who is running your life to their agenda, not yours?

STOP! Ask yourself if you’re happy with your life as it is. If not, what do you plan to do to change it? Note down—now—at least three ways you can get back in charge of your own destiny.

Take your time. Think! Make careful, rational choices. Do what you can see is best for you, regardless of all attempts to control your behavior from outside. It’s your life, and you’re accountable for it. You can’t avoid that, however much you wriggle. Luck and patience are not quite identical, but it’s close.

Here’s what to do to cope best with uncertainty of any type:

• Take time to discover the recurring patterns of behavior that people think of as “typically you.” Inquire carefully into how they are affecting your life and career. That will immediately give you more ways to influence your future.
• Work out what part you are playing in any situation you don’t enjoy. Once you see how you’re contributing to the situation, you’ll know what you need to change first. You can’t control events, but you can always change your own behavior.
• Decide clearly and specifically what you want from your work or career. Set firm intentions to make the changes needed. Focus on them with complete concentration. Don’t let anything else get in the way.
• Use every opportunity to move further towards your goals.
• Stay awake! Never allow choices to happen without conscious thought.

Life is uncertain and you have to deal with that. It’s up to you whether you do it well or badly, or give up altogether and drift along like a jellyfish.

Ever notice how many human jellyfish there are today? And how readily many of them sting the people they meet?

Technorati Tags: uncertainty, change, finding opportunities, making your own decisions, staying in charge, taking charge of your life and career

Related articles by Zemanta

• Critical Skill 9: How to Have Positivity and Confidence Making Tough Decisions
• Life Sucks, Then You Die
• Gut Decisions May Not Be Smart
• What’s Holding you Back?