Taking Charge

With national and international news being so much easier to access, we have all become aware that the last few years have been challenging for a lot of people around the world. Let’s spend some time talking about these challenges and what we can do, as individuals and communities.

One of the traps we, as human beings, can get caught in is looking at our social, economic and financial situations as happening “to” us. We see things from an external perspective, and believe we are powerless to do anything. If you can visualize a leaf traveling at the mercy of the wind, you get a pretty good picture of someone who sees life happening “to” them. This is an external “locus of control” and puts us in the mindset of a victim.

Now, what would happen if we changed our perspective to one of an internal locus of control? What if we asked ourselves the question, “What can I do ‘for’ me?” How does that change the way we look at ourselves and our abilities?

Well, for one thing, we take back control of our lives and our decisions. It’s like adding a rudder and a motor to that leaf blowing in the wind, as we plot our own course through the breeze. We give ourselves the power to determine the direction in which we travel through challenges. We are only victims if we allow ourselves to be victims.

There is a tendency, these days, to think of ourselves as victims. But keep in mind that economic, social and political headlines are meant to sell papers and magazines to keep advertising dollars. Televised media is not just reporting the news, but sometimes making the news in order to get ratings and advertising dollars. By looking a little deeper and listening a little closer, this becomes evident.

In these times, it is easy to fall prey to the “bad news” constantly being reported in the media. If we are wise, and we all have access to untapped wisdom stored in our minds, we will become skeptical listeners and readers, and take charge of our own decisions about our futures.