You Can Be Better

There isn’t so much to be excited about in the world today. There are concerns on every level- global, national and personal. Globally, the world is combatting COVID-19. Nationally, economies are heating up, and personally, well things can be a lot better. At this point, things appear to be quickly spiralling out of control that one can almost feel palpable fear everywhere. There is hardly any conversation that doesn’t come back to the three domains mentioned above.

There are two scenarios that we should avoid. One situation is to give up and let things run their course, and the other is to expect “someone” to do something about it. More than ever before, I believe this is the time for us to take individual responsibility for the outcome of our lives. For instance, there is a lot of materials out there on how to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. It is wisdom to be very cautious and personally committed to observing all health rules stipulated.

While the war against the Coronavirus is a global one, and the economic team of each nation manages the fight for economic development, the battle for your success is a personal one. I doubt that a committee would be set up to investigate and advise you on how to move forward in life. Individual success is essentially a product of personal choices and engagement. Here are a few ways you can take responsibility for your life:

1. Decide to: The reason some people haven’t achieved their personal goals is that they haven’t decided to. A decision is simply a choice to act in a particular way. While we make several decisions every day, we tend to avoid deciding on the critical issues that can change our lives. Because it’s a tough call, we focus on escaping rather than facing the situation.
2. Start now: hope is good, but sometimes, it can be wrongly applied. Several people give conditions for their actions, and the situation may be out of their control. For instance, one can say, “I will start a business when power situation improves”, or “I will get a job when government policy changes”. While those are good things to hope for, you can neither personally provide power nor change government policies. So, how long do you plan to suspend your dreams for the situation to be right? This kind of hope creates the impression that one is making an effort or to provide an excuse for not taking any action.
3. Improve yourself: Isn’t it a piece of good news that people look for value, and value can be developed? If you can find out the highest expectations people have of someone in your business, you can easily surpass it be developing capacity. If you succeed, you will become one of the most valuable people in that field.