Broadly speaking, what we all are after is a sense of control over our inner and outer worlds. We want to have control over our conscious experiences, our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; we want to control the results we get and the relationships we have in the outside world. This desire to regulate and influence our overall life experience is what the human drive for control is all about.
There are three specific activators that light up our drive for control in a way that makes us feel particularly energized, engaged, and enthusiastic. No matter how much or how little control you prefer, if you’re going to control something in life, then the following three areas are what you should direct your attention to.
Activator #1: Control Your Outlook and Character
The grandest needle mover in your depth of control over your life is your outlook, the quality of the meaning you attach to the events in your life and your future.
Intentions are not enough; our actions define who we truly are. In this way, nothing changes in your life until you change your behavior, demanding and showing more of your magnificent character. So challenge yourself on a continual basis with this question: “Do my actions reflect the quality of person I want to be, and can be?”
Activator #2: Control for New
Setting your sights on enjoying new experiences regularly is one of the greatest ways to remain fully engaged, energized, and enthusiastic throughout your lifetime. Here are a few ideas to jump-start your focus on new:
- The ninety-day getaway
- The restaurant or dining tour
- Shows, sporting events, experiences
- Travel adventures
- Expanding your peer circle
- Skill development
Activator #3: Control Workflow
Your level of engagement and enthusiasm will skyrocket when you decide to participate only in projects you can be fully invested in and be a part of from beginning to end.
Don’t allow yourself to be weakened and distracted by checking your in-box all day. Spend most of your day actually completing your projects and priorities, which should always be about getting done real things that matter. Take back your agenda and make magic happen during the day.
Charge Points
1. If I were to live at a higher level of character and maintain a more positive outlook, I would have to begin…
2. Two things I could schedule in my calendar right now to “control for new” and introduce novelty and challenge into my life are…
3. A project that I could get involved in or create immediately that would allow me to be more fully invested in my work and shepherd a project from beginning to end would be…
* Source: The Charge by Brendon Burchard