Once you adopt a mindset of 100 percent accountability, you define what success means to you, and you understand to whom and for what you are accountable, you will be in the best possible position to determine what you need to do to get everything you want from your career and from your life.
What’s next? Adopt a mindset of self-empowerment. Nobody can empower you to become successful. Nobody can empower you to embrace a mindset of personal accountability. Nobody can empower you to realize your goals.
A boss at work can give you authority, permission, or resources to take the actions you need to take to accomplish a goal or finish a task. but only you can empower yourself to use those tools and act.
A colleague can help you reach a personal benchmark by offering advice or pitching in to do the work that will bring the next promotion or close a big sale. But only you can empower yourself to ask for, or accept, that help.
A teammate can deny you access to information, a work product, or another person from whom you need something before you can accomplish your goal. But only you can empower yourself not to let that stop you from meeting your deadlines.
Once you know what you want – for your day, your year, or your life – you have to work for it. Don’t wait for it. Work for it.
Life is figuring out what you have to do to get what you want. What kind of behaviors will stretch you to live into your definition of success as you define that? What risks are involved as you move from desiring success to pursing it to having it?
Change requires action. Action involves risk. Risk has consequences. Those consequences are yours and yours alone.
Are you up for that? You already have the power to get what you want. This is self-empowerment. What personal sacrifices like giving up Saturday mornings to work and skipping fun in favor of professional development are you in for?
There are 2 clear types in the self-empowerment realm. Those who believe security primarily resides outside of themselves and those who know security is an inside job. When security is “the next job, the pay, the benefits, my boss will protect me, the ‘too big to fail’ so I’m safe here” mindset, security is often connected to a ‘give up to get’. I will give up my passion and desired goals in life for the safety of the sure thing. Nothing wrong with that at all. After all there are bills to pay, kids, college…all manner of financial obligations.
Self-empowerment requires risk. You have to bet on YOU, which is usually not a risk when you are powered by passion and laser focus on your definition of success. But even with rock solid confidence, passion and vision fueling you, the non-secure route is a risk none-the-less. Ask any entrepreneur. You have to have a stomach for setbacks and failure.
What do you need to do?
Clarify what you want.
Do a risk assessment.
What do you want to do?
Choose your path.
Self-empower.
Do what you need to do.