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How many people do you know that consider
themselves successful—really successful in everything they do and touch?
They love their work, coworkers and boss believe that their skills and
output are essential, are surrounded by terrific friends, their family
thinks they walk on water, have plenty of money, are never held back by
health related issues—these people love the rainbow of life.
How about a few? None? How about you? Are you where you want to be in your
career? In your personal life?
Let’s start there, because the bottom line is this: to be successful, you
must take 100% responsibility for your life. According to Jack Canfield of
Chicken Soup for the Soul® fame, “The only one person responsible for the
quality of the life you live is you.” It’s the first principle in his latest
book, The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You
Want to Be (Harper Resource).
Of the 64 Principles he identifies, it’s the foundation and the key to his
personal success. He’s applied them for the past 30 years—from earning
$8,000 as a school teacher to millions annually today. Obviously, something
has worked.
“Taking responsibility includes the level of your achievements, the results
you produce, the quality of your relationships, the state of your health and
physical fitness, your income, your debts, your feelings—everything!”
according to Canfield.
Taking responsibility is always a challenge. In today’s workplace, too many
are active participants in the blame game—it’s always someone or something’s
fault when things go wrong. The boss, coworker, spouse, parents, clients,
economy, lack of money or education, isms (racism, sexism, ageism, lookism,
you-name-it ism), gender bias, weather, politics, even the morning’s
astrological prediction can be pointed at as the root of the current
problem.
Canfield acknowledges that there are plenty of things that you and I can’t
directly control. We can control, though, what we do after they have
occurred. His formula for dealing with events that happen, be they a
tornado, hurricane, war, etc., or life experiences—success or failure,
health or illness, wealth or poverty, joy or sadness is:
E + R = O
Event + Response = Outcome
What happened has happened. You can’t undo the Event, so what are you going
to do next? Your Response/Reaction will lead to the Outcome. That’s where
responsibility comes into play. The Success Principles says you have two
choices.
1 You can blame the Event (E) for your lack of results (O). Or,
2 You can change your responses (R) to the event (E)—to the way things
are—until you get the outcomes (O) you want.
Using that premise, let’s look at traffic in the Metro Denver area—it’s a
mess during rush hour. T-Rex has expanded the drive time for commuters into
DTC, downtown or if you have to drive through those areas to get where you
need to be. What’s your response when you get stuck in it?
1 You can blame the construction (E), which makes you pissy (R) and for
being late to work (O) which will more than likely affect your attitude and
productivity when you finally get to work. Or,
2 Knowing that you have more time in you car and that there will be delays
(E), you can bring a thermos of coffee or tea, have CDs to listen to—music,
books on tape, a taped educational course or foreign language—even a book to
read if you really get jammed, and a cell phone to connect with work or
catch up with family/friends (R). The result (O) is that you aren’t pissy,
you’ve enjoyed your favorite morning beverage; listened to something that
has inspired, motivated, or taught; and checked in with your best friend.
When you finally arrive, your mood is upbeat; you’re ready to tackle
anything.
Which scenario would you (and those you work and live with) choose—#1 or #2?
Pissy or positive?
It’s so convenient to point at “causes” of whatever ails you. It takes time
and work to unravel your personal roadblocks.
The Success Principles weighs in at just under 500 pages—almost unheard of
in today’s mini-business parable type books that frequent the bestseller
lists. Who has the time or wants to lug around an elephant of a book? You
should.
Grumbling, complaining and blaming get you nowhere. No matter how much fault
you find with something or someone and blame them as the root of all that is
wrong, it’s not going to help you. Or change you. The secret: you change
you.
You are the primary ingredient in the responsibility quotient for success.
No one can stand in as a substitute.
# # #
Judith Briles holds
both an MBA and DBA. Prior to her career as a full time speaker and author,
she was a stockbroker with EF Hutton & Co. and headed her own
financial firm. She’s the author of 24 books including Money Smarts:
Personal Financial Success in 30 Days!, Smart Money Moves for Kids, The
Dollars and Sense of Divorce and The Confidence Factor..
Judith lives in Colorado. Her website is www.Briles.com and she can be
reached at Judith@Briles.com.
©2006 Judith Briles, All Rights Reserved
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