Three Decisions That Shape Your Destiny Every Day

Every day we each make many small and a few large decisions. Every decision we make has an extended shadow. Decisions shape our lives, they cause us to grow or diminish, they cause our life to expand or contract, they cause us to succeed or fail. There are three areas in particular where our decisions have a major impact on our ultimate destiny. They are to do with our beliefs; our attention; our associations. Decisions about beliefs Beliefs are the presuppositions that we hold about the way the world 'is' that either create or deny our personal power. Our beliefs are essentially an on-off switch that impacts our ability to do the things we wish in this world. It's important to identify the beliefs we have that cause us to do what we do. We should also identify any self-limiting or disabling beliefs we may have, beliefs that don't allow us to do what we wish to do. Beliefs are powerful, helping us to have a sense of certainty and direction in an unpredictable world. They are so powerful, in fact, that sometimes we don't remember that they're not necessarily true, just a decision we've made. If you want to change your beliefs, first identify a particular belief that doesn't serve you, one you wish to change, and then craft a new belief that better serves you. Become willing to let go of the old belief, and then embrace the new belief. Accept any sensations of resistance, and then repeat the process until you can state the new belief congruently.   Decisions about attention Life is really a study of attention and focus. Wherever your attention and focus goes, your heart goes, and action flows. Your ability to divert your attention from activities of lower value to activities of higher value is central to everything you accomplish in life. Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets. Success is about focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve. The first requisite of success is the ability to apply your mental and physical energies in a singular focus on your goals without being diverted.   Decisions about associations Focus on high-quality people. Feed those relationships. Surround yourself with high-minded people who think, speak and act positively. Understand that few relationships in life are permanent. Many are functional, formed to achieve a particular purpose by combining certain strengths until a goal is attained, after which they cease to serve the best interests of either party. When goals or circumstances change, the players often change as well. New people enter your life with new roles, and other people leave your life, to be seen no more. How many relationships in your life have reached the point where it's time for you, and the other person, to move on?  People are who they are. They will do what they will do. Each person has their own agenda, and you can't change that. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to accept the situation the way it is, let them go, and get on with your life.   Here's something you may wish to reflect on, a critical thinking point for you to ponder:  Your belief system, your achievement level, and your net worth at this point in life absolutely reflect the average of the beliefs, the achievement level and the net worth of the five people you associate with most frequently. To Your Success, Lloyd Dobson