Take Back Your Life!

“When someone tells you that you can’t do something, perhaps you should consider that they are only telling you what they can’t do.” ~ Sheldon Cahoon

It’s common for people to tell you, “oh, you can’t pull that off” or “why do you want to try that?” or “that’s impossible.”

If there is something you want to do, please don’t listen to other people who tell you it can’t be done. They might not be able to do it, but most of us can usually accomplish anything we put our minds to. Try it yourself and then decide if you can’t do it. Chances are good, though, that you can.

Many, many years ago, I quit my research job to make a career change to graphic design. I went to a head hunter and said I want the following things in a job: Flexible hours, the ability to mold it to myself and a boss that believes in me enough to let me be free. She said, “Those jobs don’t exist. But if I do find one, I’m taking it for myself.”

I didn’t sign up with that firm and went to another one and repeated my dream job to another headhunter. She said, “Let’s try to find it.”

A few weeks later, she called about a job.

I went on the interview and knew the minute I walked into the office that this potential boss was different than all the other managers I’d worked for. We talked. I showed him my design portfolio. He was interested in hiring me.

I said, “I need to be honest with you about who I am and shared my three wishes for the job.”

He looked at me and said, “Okay.”

It was that simple. What if I’d stopped throwing my dreams into the job wind and listened to that first downer of a head hunter? I’d have never known that I can conjure up what I want and make it happen.

People are trained to give their powers away at younger and younger ages in exchange for the “good kid stamp” or the “good student stamp” or the “good grades stamp” and then those becomes “the good girlfriend stamp” or the “good employee stamp,” etc.

You do what the theys want and you get the claps and awards and pats on the back and pretty soon you are a shell of your former self eager to please the people you think have more power than you.

But they don’t.

It’s better to please yourself and give yourself an award and learn about things on your own terms.

I can almost guarantee, you’ll feel more alive and love life more when you take your own power back. Giving away our power makes us feel weak and helpless and dependent on the approval of others.

Approve of yourself and reap the rewards!

Not to mention, almost NO ONE will ever ask to see your grades once you get out of school. I think one guy asked me when I was 23 and I ended up quitting that job because I didn’t like it. Other than that, not a soul.

Take a few moments to exam your own power.

Do you feel powerful? If yes, wonderful and congrats.

If no, try to figure out when you gave it away and why you gave away something that belonged to you, that benefited you, that was precious.

Do you want it back?

It is yours to take back.

You just need to give yourself permission to call your own shots, to question anything you don’t understand and to follow your own heart’s desire.

If it seems overwhelming to take it back all at once. Take it back in smaller pieces …