Before we answer this question, let me explain a psychological concept called Locus on Control.
Essentially, Locus of control is the degree to which people believe that they, as opposed to external forces, have control over the outcome of events in their lives.
Here’s why this is important…
When it comes to locus of control here are typically 2 types of people. The first type are those with an Internal Locus on Control. They tend to attribute their successes and, especially, their failures to themselves and their own actions.
The second type are those with an External Locus on Control. They tend to view their successes as something fleeting and based on luck and blame anything or anyone else for their failures.
If you were honest with yourself, which one most sounds like you?
When things aren’t going right, it’s tempting to want to blame the world for our problems. It’s easy to blame the fact that we’re struggling on our genetics, our “slow metabolism” or on the universe that is working against us.
While this might satisfy us in the moment, the problem is, it basically guarantees we will continue to stay stuck. That’s because if you keep thinking everything is out of your control, you will never fight to take back control. Success is about you taking the proverbial wheel and steering the car in the direction that you want to go.
So what’s the first step?
It’s being willing to take full responsibility for your actions.
Yes, I’m sure you have some obstacles that are out of your control. Maybe you have a medical condition, maybe you do work long hours or maybe life is stressing you out. But you simply cannot let this hold you back!
Everyone has challenges they need to overcome. Somewhere, there is someone who is battling the same obstacles as you (maybe even worse), but they still managed to accomplish their goals.
As harsh as it is to hear, if you’re not where you want to be, you are the ONLY one to blame. However, this doesn’t mean you should beat yourself up. That’s because while you are the one to blame, you are also the only solution.
If you take the time to learn from the past, understand your weaknesses and triggers and then come up with plans to overcome them, you will be successful!
The choice is yours. You can either keep falling back on your typical excuses and never move forward, or you can accept your situation and take ownership and responsibility for your actions going forward.
When you stop blaming outside forces for where you are, incredible things can happen!