Summary:
Who’s in control? Are you the captain of your life or merely a passenger? Do you allow outside forces to determine the direction of your life? Are you letting happenstance, random circumstance or perhaps someone else decide on your route and destination in life?
What would it mean if you were the one in charge?
For some people this may seem a little frightening at first. Being in charge means that you are solely responsible for your own results and there is no one else to blame when things aren’t going well. When you’re the captain it’s really about taking responsibility for the direction of your life. So ask yourself, are you the one currently directing your future, making a conscious effort to move yourself toward a particular destination or goal?
An important part of taking control and being the captain of your own life is analyzing your current situation honestly, and then clarifying exactly what it is you wish to create for your future. It’s then a matter of determining what steps are required to achieve this, and having the commitment to stick to your plan.
When starting a new venture or working toward a goal, decide what it is you need to do and the direction you need to go. What skills will you personally require to achieve your goal, what do you need to know, and also, what aspects of your plan can be delegated or farmed out? Be extremely careful when farming out any aspects of your plan, and ensure that you at least know the basics surrounding the work so that you have an understanding of what needs to be done and how. This will ensure that you are always in control of the outcome and how it affects your ultimate goal. Also ask whom you can talk to about your plans, and whether it might be beneficial to create or join a group of similar-minded, goal-oriented individuals who can help you move toward your goals.
The best thing about being the captain of your life is that you get to decide. You determine the direction, the path and the ultimate destination. It’s your life and your journey; so don’t let the passengers around you influence you. Take charge and create the future you choose. And think big, because when you’re the captain there really are no limits to what you can achieve. When you know that you’re in control of your future, you can fly at any altitude.
Transcript:
I was talking with a fellow the other day by the name of Fred. We were just talking about his life and how he was going about accomplishing, or not accomplishing, things in his life. It struck me that he didn’t really seem to be in charge of where it was going. So I asked him this question: “Are you the captain of your life or are you just a passenger in it?” Now when I asked that question, I have to say, he got a blank look on his face. He wasn’t really sure what I was talking about.
Who’s in Control?
Admittedly, I prefer to be lounging in first class when I’m flying on a plane, but I don’t want to be the one piloting the plane. I don’t have that skillset, and I’m okay with that. But, anytime I do get on a plane, I always have a destination in mind. I not only know where I’m going, I know how I’m going to get there. I entrust my safe arrival at the destination that I’ve chosen to the captain. That’s when it comes to flying and I’m okay with that. However, when it comes to my own life, I’m the one with my hands on the controls. I’m the one in charge of making sure I get where I’m going. How about you?
This wasn’t the case with Fred. He was struggling. He was allowing all sorts of outside forces to determine his direction in life. It reminded me of a saying that I like: “Some people make things happen. Some people watch things happen. And then there are those who wonder, what the hell just happened?”
Now ask yourself: Are you letting happenstance, random circumstance or perhaps someone else decide on your route and destination in life? What would it mean though, if you were the one in charge? Would you be doing anything differently than you are today or would your life be exactly the same? If you think it would be just the same then that’s great. But if not, what it is that you might do differently. What would you change and how would you take charge of your life?
Taking Responsibility
Now, when I said this, I noticed that Fred became concerned. It actually frightened him a little. It might even seem a little frightening to you. Being in charge means you’re the one responsible for your own results and that can be quite terrifying for some people. When you take charge, you’re the only one to blame when things aren’t going the way you want them to. Not that there’s any blame really, but if you’re really in charge, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say, “Well, I’m the one that got me here. So it’s not these outside forces now. It’s up to me.”
It’s really about taking responsibility for your direction in life. Now, maybe you were brought up always being told what to do, as many people are. Sometimes people are not given the freedom to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes. Such circumstances can be debilitating later in life.
So ask yourself, are you the one currently directing your future, making a conscious effort to move yourself toward a particular destination or goal? That is really part of being the captain of your life, being the one in charge, being the one in control. But like I said, I don’t pilot planes. I can’t, I don’t have the skills. That doesn’t mean I that I can’t learn them if I choose to. That’s an important distinction. However, you may find there are certain things you want to do and certain things you don’t want to do and that’s okay.
Gaining the Required Skills
There were certain things that I had to learn when I ventured into taking my teachings online. At first, I wasn’t technically minded with regard to websites and all of the technical aspects of being online. That said, theses were new skills that I needed and wanted to learn in order to bring this information to a broader online audience. It required a fair bit of work on my part but that was work I was willing to do because I was excited at the prospect of be able to bring this opportunity and these trainings to so many people.
Now, whenever you start something new, it is so important to evaluate your situation. Decide what it is you need to do and the direction you need to go. Determine what it is you plan to do yourself and what you are going to farm out. Now this holds true, whether it’s regarding your financial plans, your work or starting a new business. Always be very careful what you decide to farm out, because in the case of your finances, remember, the one who has the most interest in your money is you. If you’re farming out all of the knowledge or all of the results of your financial investments to someone else, understand that, even if they are well intentioned, they may not always have your best interest in mind. You’re the only one who truly has your best interest front and foremost all of the time.
So I strongly recommend that you figure out what skills you will personally require when managing these aspects of your life. When you do farm something out, even if it’s for your investments, building a website or whatever the venture may be, make sure that you at least know the basics. Ensure that you know something behind what it is that you’re asking someone else to do, so that you have a concept of what needs to be done and how it needs to be done. That way, if you get left high and dry or you need to fire that person and take your business to someone else, you will have a fundamental understanding of what has been done to that point so that you can properly choose the next person.
Always ask yourself, do I have the skills for this particular job, for this particular venture, and what is it that I really need to know? Not only what you really need, but also ask whom you can talk to about it? Should you join or create a group of people with similar ideas or goals in mind, a group where an honest open discussion can help you reach and achieve more and move in the direction that you’re going? I know for myself, I’ve had great success being part of groups like this in the past and I’m still part of these groups today. We’re all moving in the same direction, in different ways but with a similar sense of purpose. We bounce ideas off of one another and talk about different concepts that help and improve all of what we’re doing together in different ways.
Assess Your Situation and Plan Your Path
So as I’ve said, captaining your own life means being the one in control. An important part of this is also analyzing your current condition honestly, the situation you’re in today. Next clarify what it is you want to create. It’s then a matter of being able to decide what is required to achieve this and also having the commitment to stick with your plan. The act of deciding can be a very powerful thing. The simple act of deciding cements your intentions in your mind and puts your future clearly in front of you. Once you’ve got that plan intact and you’ve decided on your path, as the captain, it’s your job to go down that road and stick to that plan, the one that you decided on, because, remember, it’s your plan.
Take Charge of Your Future
The best thing about being captain is that you get to decide. You decide on the direction, the path and the destination. When you’re in charge, you get to choose your future. You get to create the future that you want. So don’t let the passengers around you influence you. It’s your life and your journey, so be the one in charge.
Take charge, and think big, because there really are no limits. If you’re a passenger, you limit yourself. You’re stuck in the back without a wheel to hold onto. When you’re in charge, when you’re the captain, you can take the plane, you can take your life wherever you want to go, because you have the power to create the life that you want and the ability to move yourself in that direction. When you have the attitude that you can create your life as you see it, you can fly at any altitude and truly Live Rich.
