Tom Melvin

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a presentation given by world famous author and speaker, Mr. Andy Andrews.  Andrews is hailed by a New York Times writer as a “modern-day Will Rogers who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America.” In one of his latest books, “Mastering the Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success, “ Andrews details seven specific life-decisions that highly successful people make regularly.

What’s most exciting, and why I’m writing to you about his work, is that these principles of behavior he has identified are real, time-tested, and effective ways for you and me to improve our everyday lives.  And, applied correctly, they work every time.  These (7) fundamentals are timeless and can serve as your guide to a more successful and prosperous life.  By the way, notice as we go through these that these principles are called “decisions”, not attributes or characteristics – this is good news – it means that these are NOT abstract ideas, elusive concepts, or gifts from good genes.  Every person can DECIDE to implement these principles.

The first fundamental decision to be mastered if you want to be highly successful is responsibility.  This is a curious decision, in that, if you think about it, almost no one in the public arena these days ever talks about personal responsibility.  Yet, we know from real-world experience that the lack of personal responsibility is one of the greatest determining factors for personal failure, economic lack, crime, and general unhappiness.  My personal opinion is that for many in society today, it has become so non-PC to judge anyone about anything, people are afraid to talk about other people taking responsibility for their actions, as they might be labeled “insensitive”, or worse.

But, the truth is, only by refusing to play the blame game can you truly be empowered.  You see, when your life doesn’t go the way you think it should, your reaction should NOT be to look for someone or something to blame – the economy, the government, your relatives, etc.  Why?  There are two reasons that come to mind…first, your situation is, in almost all cases, a result of hundreds of tiny little decisions you have made over time – each one leading you either in the right direction or wrong.  Thus, your current situation is simply a snapshot in time of a condition that has taken years to develop.

Second, and perhaps even more important, you shouldn’t blame outside forces for your problems because doing so doesn’t make your situation any better, and in fact may make it worse.  You see, if you believe your current situation is being ruled by outside forces, you feel powerless to change it.  This causes you to feel that you have no control, and therefore no hope of positive change.  If however, you can recognize that all success is a result of those micro-decisions made by YOU over time, then you can change the way you start making decisions in the future.  This is called POWER, and personal empowerment is essential to your success in life and in business.

So, the next time you feel down; next time you feel unhappy with the current state of your life, your business, your relationships, your bank account – CHOOSE to take responsibility for your situation.  Claim your situation as your own – made by your own hand and crafted by your own actions.  Reflect on what decisions led to where you are now.  And commit to changing your course down a road of better choices – the road leading to where you want to go.