“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” ~ Les Brown
You might be asking yourself, who is Les Brown? He is a successful motivational speaker, former Ohio politician, best-selling author, popular radio personality, former TV host, and was briefly married to Gladys Knight. Talk about a list of achievements. I love this quote because it encourages readers to accept responsibility for their own life, and to recognize that it is you who gets you where you want to go, no one else.
Success, Own It
This quote also reminds me that no one else is going to determine my success in my business. I think many entrepreneurs are very nervous amid all the chatter about failed businesses. We hear about it every day. Pick up the business section and you will find stories of companies, small and large, which are closing or missed their revenue goal. Many new clients come through our door with quotes of their own and need us to help.
Here’s a snapshot:
- “I was fine until the economy crashed.”
- “I was fine until the government got more involved in business.”
- “I was fine until we got a new president.”
- “I was fine until the weather changed.”
- “I was fine until business began consolidating.”
Sometimes this takes a different turn and sounds suspiciously positive:
- “I would be fine except for the healthcare.”
- “I would be fine if I didn’t have to pay taxes.”
- “I would be fine if I could get my employees to believe.”
- “I would be fine if people read the newspaper.”
- “I would be fine if I didn’t have all these competitors.”
You get the idea. The excuse is interchangeable and irrelevant.
These are people with a sense of entitlement. These are not entrepreneurs. These are people buried in “would be,” “could have,” “should do” or “might have worked”…they don’t succeed. Notice I didn’t say failures? You are only a failure if you’ve given up.
Winners take responsibility. Winners find the way even if the way gets muddy or blurred. Winners use failures to learn, to grow, to correct, to strategize, and to achieve.
Here’s another piece of essential advice from Les Brown to put success in perspective:
“If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.”
Where will your gifts take you? What would you accomplish if you let go of past failures or the fear of potentially failing? Only you can achieve your goals.
I have to remember that I am in control of my life. I will succeed because of my ability, my gifts, my people, my team and my creativeness. There is nothing standing in the way of my success. If other companies are failing, I will look for the opportunity in that. If one person can succeed, it might as well be me.
I would love to hear from you if you feel the same way, or if you would LIKE to feel the same way. My company loves to invest in relationships that direct people towards success.
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