I am reading “Goals!” by Brian Tracy at the moment, and in one of his chapters he writes about the courage to take complete responsibility for one’s life. When I read those words I had a flashback to a day a few years back when this very fact dawned on me.

I had been working in the business for a couple of years, but I was still a newbie – pushing to find my path in the industry. My personal life wasn’t good either, and one day it hit me. It was absolutely brutal, eyeopening, magical and completely overwhelming. I came face to face with the very fact that I wasn’t living the life I wanted, and if I would keep on going the same way – I would never get there.

This became a major turning point in my life which led me on this wonderful journey in self discovery, and in personal and career development. What happened that day was that I realized, the only thing that stood between me and my wildest dreams was ME. No one else, and nothing else.

In that moment I decided to take full responsibility for my life, and to let go of all which had stopped me before. Of course that switch didn’t happen over one day, it was a process, and I still work on it and I probably always will. But, taking back the power over one’s own life is the single most important thing I have ever done.

It’s so easy, especially in my work where I am most often in need of others to get my projects moving, to think those other people are in power (and that I can’t influence that). In some aspects it’s true, but most of the time I can do a whole lot more than I used to think to keep myself (or my projects) moving forward. One of the top three questions I ask myself multiple times a day is, ‘What can I do…?’ It doesn’t matter if it concerns children fighting, a quarrel with your spouse or your work projects. If we keep our heads clear and ask how we (I) best can solve or move this thing forward, we will not only get better result, but we will also feel a whole lot better.

Most people are unaware of the power they resign to others, and it is the single most important thing that can make or break your dreams, goals and visions.