This is an excerpt from Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway (written by Susan Jeffers) called “Seven Ways to Reclaim Your Power”. All of these methods encourage personal responsibility and focusing on your available options in any situation. I like these kinds of reminders as this stuff is easy for me to forget if I don’t think about it regularly. Without further ado, here are the recommendations.
- Avoid casting blame on an external force for your bad feelings about life. Nothing outside yourself can control your thinking or your actions.
- Avoid blaming yourself for not being in control. You are doing the best you can, and you are on the way to reclaiming your power.
- Be aware of when and where you play the victim role. Learn the clues that tell you that you are not being responsible for what you are being, having, doing, or feeling.
- Familiarize yourself with your biggest enemy – your Chatterbox. Use the exercises throughout this book to replace it with a loving internal friend.
- Figure out the payoffs that keep you “stuck”. Paradoxically, once you find them, you will probably be able to quickly become “unstuck.”
- Determine what you want in life and act on it. Stop waiting for someone to give it to you. You’ll be waiting a long time.
- Be aware of the many choices you have – in both actions and feelings – in any situation that comes your way. Choose the path that contributes to your growth and makes you feel at peace with yourself and others.