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Take control of your life and change it

Taking responsibility for your life choices, and thus your money, is a critical step towards success.

All the decisions that you make in anything you undertake, either personally or professionally, affect your financial life.

The ability to take responsibility for everything that you are, everything you do and everything you have is quite a big challenge.

Very few people ever really master this step, which is why so few people ever achieve greatness that everyone likes to talk about.

Here are some ideas to think about and implement and watch your life change.

lMake a list of all the things keeping you from being successful in each area of your life: why are you broke, why are you so unhappy, why are you so negative, and why your relationships suck. Write it all down, then you can whine, cry, complain and blame. This is your chance.

lGo to each item on your list and write your name at the top. Why? Because you are the reason your life is the way it is.

Nothing you have written down matters - your thoughts, words and actions created the life you are living. Stop making excuses and face that reality. There are people facing much harder challenges but they still have the courage to figure out how to succeed. So get your "legitimate reasons" out of the way and face the facts: You are your own problem. Don't blame the list.

lGo to the mirror, look the person there in the eye and have a little heart-to-heart talk.

Say "I created this life, I am now living through my actions, words and thoughts. I take complete responsibility for everything going on in my life. I will stop blaming and making excuses.

I am in charge of my life and I am taking control of my results from this moment on". Repeat this affirmation daily until it is ingrained in your psyche.

lRemember that affirmation without action is like self-delusion. Saying words alone is not enough. The affirmation is only a verbal reminder that you are responsible. You have to prove you are responsible by taking action to create the life you want instead of the life you are living. If you want help from any person or a professional, it is your responsibility to call them. If you don't find them, you may choose to leave a message requesting them to call you back. If they don't, it is still your responsibility to follow up because you are the one who needs help. You cannot sit in false hope that they will call you back someday.

lChange what you do not like or what is making you unhappy. If you are one of those people who simply hate your job, what are you doing about it?

The next step might be to contact a career counsellor or life strategist for some ideas. Find out how much it costs, budget for it and go. It is only you who can pick up the phone and call to make an appointment - not anyone else.

lLive by this rule: Do what you said you will do, when you said you will do it, and the way you said you will do it.

This simple statement is rooted in personal responsibility. It should be at the very core of all your interactions with others.

When you are tempted to slack off and do less or be less than you could, remind yourself that you are a person of integrity who lives by this simple creed.

Thedream@winniekunene.co.za.

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