Whom Do You Control?

The other day a sharp businessman who reads these weekly Insights showed me a quote and asked, "Did you give this to me?"

After reading the quote, I was complimented that he had attributed the quote as coming through me, but I replied, "No, I did not. This is wonderful, though."

"I have been reading this everyday," he explained, "to remind myself of what it says."

His explanation reminded me of Napoleon Hill's conclusions from his twenty-five years of research interviewing corporate giants such as J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and J. D. Rockefeller. One of Napoleon's discoveries of the secret to success was to read goals aloud twice everyday. The businessman who handed me this quote was doing precisely that.

He read: "You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.

You cannot control the world. You cannot control people. You cannot control your environment.

But you can control how you react and respond to them all. You get to say how you feel. You get to say how you think. You get to say what you do.

Only you."

As I read this quote, I thought of you. I thought that you would like to know this quote. You may find it as helpful as the businessman who gave it to me. You may want to copy it and place it where you can read it daily.

I will.

I want to read it daily to remind myself that there is a great deal that I cannot control, including the weather, the economy, interest rates, and the actions of others. Some days I get "caught up" in the frustration that I feel as a result of uncontrollable things or people. I direct my focus toward them. Once I start doing this, I seem to continue doing it all too easily.

In reality, I can change my focus.

I can decide how I react and respond to happenings in my business and personal life. I don't have to feel a certain way just because others think that I should. I can feel the way that I want to feel. I can also take the actions that I want to take.

In other words, I can control myself. As Robert Kiyosaki says, "Mind your own business."

At this time of year when we are looking forward to what we want to accomplish, I recommend that you set goals which are within your control. Don't pin your hopes on anything or anyone outside of your control. Focus on what is within your control.

As the quote states, that is "only you."