Power of MindShift :: Control (Part 3)

Power of MindShift :: Control (Part 3)

In challenging times, when things in our life feel like they are out of control, it’s natural for us to what to find (and create) control in other areas of our lives!

But what can we truly control? And, what is the impact of exerting control to our reputation and the people around us?

My professional career in the high-performance, high-pressure, and highly unpredictable world of motorsports taught me that we don’t control as much as we want to believe.

It’s been my personal and professional experience that the more I’ve tried to control the things around me, the more of a mess things became!

The reality, in my opinion, is that there are really only three things in our lives that we can truly control.

We can learn to control our Attitudes, Decisions, and Behaviors – that’s it. Any other area of exerting control is an illusion!

Our Attitudes are the baseline from which we can control our approach to the situations of our life. Consider how your attitude impacts the way you see people or events in your life – either in a positive light or a negative reflection.

Our Decisions are the choices we make in our lives. Our decisions are choices – I can’t stress that enough. What we decide to do with our time, emotions, money, or resources are choices. Are your decisions in alignment with your values and attitude?

Our Behaviors are the outcome of our attitudes and decisions. The way we choose to engage the people around us and recognizing the impact of our interactions is an elevation in our awareness – which is fantastic. Too often, people sleepwalk and don’t truly reflect upon how their behavior can influence (not control) others.

“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.”

Charles Swindoll

This approach invites us to look at living a life from the inside out instead of the outside in!

There is a huge difference in living when we choose to live from an internal state of action instead of living from an external state of reaction. Think for a moment of how often we live from the external, reactionary state of being.

I find myself shifting from both at times. We all will. However, I’ve found that my state of peace and effectiveness are amplified when living from an internal state of being.

We’ve all experienced people in our lives who live in a reactionary way. We’ve seen them in our personal lives and we’ve seen them in our professional lives.

What can that do for their reputations? In my opinion, it doesn’t do much good!

Oftentimes they are seen and regarded as erratic, unpredictable, unstable, and unreliable.

I don’t know about you, but those are NOT words I’d like associated with my reputation.

Conversely, people who choose to act from an internal place of values, tend to be seen as confident, consistent, reliable, and level-headed. Those are words that I would be more than happy to be associated with my reputation – wouldn’t you?

Here is your opportunity. This is your time to make a choice.

Will you invest time in living from a centered, internal place? Or, will you live a reactive life?

Here are the links to my Power of MindShift posts:

Perspective – Part 1

Emotion – Part 2

Check out my YouTube video on MindShift and Control here!