“The moment you take responsibility
for everything in your life,
is the moment you can change
anything in your life.”
-Hal Elrod
Last week I was provided with the opportunity to spend Saturday afternoon with a group of very talented young men and women who want to improve their golf game. Most of them already play at a level far beyond my ability. Some have a good chance of getting a college scholarship, and with the right coaching, mindset, and passion, anything is possible; even the opportunity of playing on the pro tour. So what is the secret to making it, or to simply being the best at what you do? It all begins with a decision!Ben Hardy is the best-selling author of Willpower Doesn’t Work and a top contributor to Medium.com.. His recent post, on Thrive-Global.com reinforced many of the ideas that I presented to my budding PGA pros, and asks a simple question, “What happens when you decide to take full responsibility for your life?
It begins by accepting and embracing a simple reality; Indecision is your greatest threat! Some might tell you that not making a decision is a decision in and of itself. False! Indecision is the enemy. Indecision simply means we are not ready to commit. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you what to do, make the decision! Remember, the moment you make a committed decision (a decision from which you will not and cannot turn back) you have far greater control over your mind, emotions and choices. Tony Robbins explains decision commitment as a three-part process:
- Make decisions while in a passionate or peak state.
- Commit to your decision by removing everything in your environment that conflicts, and create accountability mechanisms.
- Resolve that what you have decided is finished. You will not revisit your decision. What you have decided will happen.
Making a decision in and of itself guarantees nothing. There is a second reality that will present itself. Before you hit the breakthrough point or finish line, there will be mental and emotional barriers that will make you feel like you will never make it, or that life itself is falling apart. Quitting will seem like an acceptable alternative. To get past this, you will need a critical trait common to all successful people – Grit! The research of Dr. Angela Duckworth, a professor at the University of PA, revealed that individuals with grit (the demonstration of perseverance and resilience in pursuit of long-term goals) were able to maintain their determination and motivation over long periods despite experiences with failure and adversity.
Remember the term, “The fire in your belly” ? Some call it passion. That’s our third reality; Embrace your passion. It represents the resolve that will serve to continually feed your decision, and drive you toward your goal. Resolve means knowing that the goals are yours! When you resolve, when you embrace that fire in your belly, nothing can stop you! Doubt and disbelief have left your mind. To better understand this idea, I encourage you take a look at a video narrated by Dr Randy Pausch and Will Smith. It provides an insightful look at the power of passion!
There you have it! It’s really that simple. You can have everything you want out of life if you help others get what they want, and you take responsibility for your own life. Remember:
- Make the decision
- Gather the grit
- Embrace your passion
The world is your oyster, it’s time to open it!
Embrace the Challenge