There are so many different ways to take control of your life

by Richard L. Weaver II

Growth, development, and change requires that we pick and choose those elements and suggestions most relevant and immediate to our own personal situation — those that will most help us in the areas where we feel (or others suggest) help is most needed. There are so many ways and so many who are willing to make suggestions.

Sheila Dicks, at the website of Christopher M. Knight’s Top7Business, has an essay entitled, “Control Your Life: Top 7 Steps to Take Control of Your Life,” and she says you will be on your way if you follow these 7 steps: 1. Get in touch with your values, 2. Decide what motivates you, 3. Set Goals, 4. Take Action, 5. Manage Your Time, 6. Do What Needs to be Done [this is a tough one for those who want to take control!], 7. Self-discipline. Dicks concludes by saying,“When you believe in and trust yourself and have enough desire, self-discipline comes easily.”

At Ian’s Messy Desk, Ian McKenzie has an essay entitled, “10 Ways to Take Control of Your Life,” and his ten suggestions include: 1. Take care of yourself, 2. Practice gratitude, 3. Stop making assumptions, 4. Refrain from absolutes, 5. Eliminate the negative, 6. Squash the “ANTs” [ANTs are “Automatic Negative Thoughts”], 7. Come on and get physical, 8. Get out more, 9. Volunteer, and 10. Take a break.

At Shepell-fgi, in their essay, “Take Control Of Your Life!,” they offer eight suggestions: 1) Accept What You Can't Control, 2) Stop The Blame Game, 3) Let Go, 4) Learn To Say No, 5) Take Time to Plan Because You Can't Do It All, 6) Schedule Time For Yourself, 7) Simplify Your Life, 8) Recognize the Difference Between "Needs" and "Wants."

At the Life With Confidence website, Catherine Pratt has an essay entitled, “How To Take Control of Your Life,” and she starts by talking about fear: “First of all, the number one reason people don’t take control of their lives is due to fear. Fear of having dreams, fear of following their dreams, fear of achieving their dreams. Fear stops them dead in their tracks.” Then she talks about facing the fear and starting to dream. Also, she discusses starting out small and keeping positive. Pratt ends her essay on an upbeat, positive note by saying: “So, what are you waiting for? Change that attitude. Start working towards your new positive life. Go get it. It’s yours, it’s waiting for you to make the first move. Take that first step and you’ll never look back. Everything you’ve ever wanted can be yours and all you have to do is change your thoughts and Take Control.”

At iVillage, there is an anonymous essay, “7 Ways You Can Take Control of Your Life,” with a goal of developing a nurturing environment. The seven ways discussed include: 1) invest in a paper shredder, 2) give yourself ten extra minutes, 3) write in a gratitude journal, 4) stop and think, 5) cut down on your to-do list, 6) exercise every day, and 7) throw away the old sponge (use Clorox Clean-Ups instead). The point of throwing away the old sponge is to make use of new technology that saves time and labor. The point of this essay is: “There are plenty of things in our lives that will never be in order, but by habitually taking care of small tasks, we can change our outlook. ”

At NaturalNews.com, Mike Adams has written a brief essay entitled, “Life Coach Says You Can Take Control of Your Life (press release) ,” in which he offers readers guiding principles for taking control of their lives. His suggestions come from Tom Caines, a life and business coach, and in each of the following cases, I am quoting Adams’ essay without using the quotation marks. First, listen to yourself. Identify negative statements and change them to positive ones. Second, Expect plenty. Give up scarcity thinking. Belief in scarcity leads to evaluating your life in terms of what you lack, not what you have. Third, have a personal vision that excites you by exploring activities you love doing (career, travel, writing, art, etc. ) without regard to money, fear, obligations or the opinions of others. Fourth, give yourself credit for your strengths and successes. Everyone, Adams writes, have personal strengths such as being well-organized, nurturing, natural leaders, understanding, uplifting or pragmatic, which can assist them in taking control of our lives.

At AlexShalman.com, Shalman suggests that you can, “Take Control Of Your Life With One Thought.” His idea is a good one. He suggests that, “We are responsible for choosing which thought we are going to invest our time and energy into thinking. It is completely in our power to choose thoughts that resonate with our happiness, or any other feeling that we wish to experience.” How do we do it? “We can choose to keep our mind focused on this moment, and on the thought of happiness. That way we don’t need to obtain anything to be happy, we can be happy right now.” You can experience — right now — any thought or feeling you desire simply by concentrating on it.

Many of these suggestions are practical and worthwhile. Taking control of your life is important, of course, because that is where all maturity and responsibility begin. When you look over the suggestions, it is clear that not only do different people have different suggestions, but it is clear, too, that different people have various starting points depending on where they are in their lives. Obviously, not all suggestions are useful for everyone. But lists — with the possibility of following each item with a full discussion (within the essays where they were first discussed) — serve a worthwhile purpose, because growth, development, and change requires that we pick and choose those growth elements most relevant and immediate for our own purposes.
-----
At HealingWell.com, Pauline Salvucci writes an essay entitled, “Take Control of Your Life!.” She talks about the meaning of “control,” and then discusses, opening the door to your options, broadening your vision, and asking the right questions,. She concludes her wonderfully encouraging essay saying, “Being in control of your life opens you up. The more you're able to stretch yourself, the more you'll access the benefits, depth and wisdom that come from using your mind, heart, spirit -- and the more you'll receive from what life has to offer. This is the important lesson. Learn it and live well!”

At the Fearless Dreams website, Joel’s essay is entitled, “Four Tools to Take Control of Your Life.” His tools make good sense: 1) Define yourself, 2) Use the help of experts, 3) Compare and take action, and 4) test yourself with action. His examples are good, and the inspiration he provides is encouraging.

At SuccessMagazine there is an essay that is all suggestions: “30 Tips to Take Control of Your Life Now.” The suggestions are a bit scattered rather than being organized around a single topic, but they are short and valuable — but, as any set of suggestions, hard to apply to yourself if you don’t already do them.
-----
Copyright December, 2009 - And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.