Aha Moment

If you’ve been around me for a while, you have probably heard me say this many, many times: “Only you have a say in how your life turns out!” This is something I have taught to coaching clients, in Personal Planning and What's Next Workshops, and to attendees at conferences for decades. I never tire of making a difference and helping others get to their "ah ha!" moment.

Yet, one continual question that people tend to have relates to keeping that "Ah ha!" moment alive. While I could give you a fairly simplistic approach to this question, I feel it is much more important to dig deeper and reach the heart of the solution.

You see, there is more to keeping the "Ah ha!" moment alive than a simple 1-2-3 step approach, and it begins with getting super clear that, while we're pretty important, there is much, much more to the world than our own little universe; that in the grand scheme of things, what is happening in and around us isn't all that important when you consider the world on a much grander scale.

The mechanical breakdown of a car, for instance, which can send anyone into a tailspin, is really inconsequential when you consider the sorrow and tragedy that happens in the world every single day. And when we can live our lives from this perspective, having a say in how our lives turn out becomes much easier to maintain. No, there isn't much you can do about a flat tire on your car while you're traveling to work, but you can choose to not let your reaction to that circumstance ruin the rest of your day!

To live in a way where we appreciate what we have, versus what we don't have, we must think bigger than ourselves and our circumstances. When I say "Only you have a say in how your life turns out!" I absolutely mean it. You can have anything you say you want to have, and a big part of this is simply making the choice to have a smile on your face regardless of your circumstances; to see the golden nuggets in your challenges; to live and love freely without being fearful of what you may or may not get in return.

None of us are immune to allowing the world to overrun our choice to have a say. So, when you find you have allowed yourself to be stripped of your power, forgive yourself, ask for help, clear whatever is in your way, and reclaim your say in how your life turns out. Be present to when you are being less than powerful on your own behalf — when you are surrendering to the world around you — and make the conscious choice to get back on track!