Control What You Can Control

Attending a luncheon today, I heard a speaker talk about "feeling out of control" in this economy. It made me ponder what one can actually control, if anything. Turns out, there are quite a few things ... and doing them just might make you feel better, right about the same time they help you to become more happy and successful.

1. You can control your psychology. You become what you think about all day long. That makes those six inches between your ears the most important real estate you own. It's not what happens, it's how you respond (rather than react). Spend a few moments in silence first thing in the morning, followed by a few moments of "putting some good stuff in." You can go here or here to find good stuff to read or listen to. I also recommend Success Magazine and the current publisher Darren Hardy's book, The Compound Effect. That time will set the tone for the rest of the day and help you to feel unstoppable.
2. You can control what you do. You can spend time feeling sorry for yourself, feeling upset about what isn't happening or you can spend your time getting busy creating your amazing future. Spend time doing revenue-generating activities, be they short-term or long-term. Create a 1-, 3- or 5-year plan. Getting into action will temper any fear or anxiety you're feeling as well as help you to create awesome opportunities.
3. You can control what you don't do. Right after telling you to get busy, I'm going to remind you that doing just for the sake of being busy isn't the ticket. Sometimes it's what you fail to do that makes all the difference: fail to go to useless networking events, fail to procrastinate, fail to waste time on Facebook or twitter (unless you're using them to market your business or services).
4. You can use "down time" to work on yourself. When all of your i's are dotted and t's are crossed, you can sharpen your saw by doing what most other people stop doing as early as possible: learn. Learn a new skill, learn information that is valuable to your clients, concepts you could integrate into your business, and leading-edge ideas that will make a difference and complement your current vocation. Learn anything new to keep your brain sharp.
5. You can use your time to build deeper relationships. I love to do business with my friends, and it takes awhile to truly become friends. Finding yourself with some extra hours will allow you to meet someone for lunch, coffee, or drinks. This face-to-face offers the opportunity for true, deep and authentic relationships to occur. It's exactly those insights that you share, the thoughts you exchange and the information you provide that makes someone your friend -- and an advocate sometimes just when you need it.

What you can control, as you might have noticed, is really only you. Start today and see how much better you feel by tomorrow.

To your success! ~Coach Honorée