We often spend a lot of time looking outward for the cause of our problems. We look at our bosses, our politicians, and our co-workers, everywhere other than in the mirror. It is easy to get caught up looking outward as it takes the pressure off of us. We are usually looking so we can find someone or something to blame. 

The problem is that we do not control anyone else, so maybe we are looking in the wrong place. We do however have control over ourselves. We control our thoughts, decisions and actions. We control whether we get caught up in the blame game, or choose to take the Extreme Ownership approach as laid out by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink in their book Extreme Ownership, a philosophy also shared by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus.

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own . . .”

Epictetus

It is easy in today’s world to get caught up looking outward and labelling others as “evil”. That is not good however, for our physical or mental health, for relationships, or for achieving any meaningful change or progress. The more we look inward and take responsibility for ourselves, the more we can let go of the “good” and “evil” labels we place on others. We also need to let go of those labels toward ourselves and our actions and choices.

We are all human. All doing the best we can with the tools we have. We are all flawed. We are all striving. We are all struggling. We all make mistakes. We all misstep and misspeak at times. We will all stumble and fall. We all have strengths and weaknesses. We all have the ability to look inward and to take responsibility for what we control, which is ourselves. 

What’s Important Now? Look inward and stand up and own up. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com

www.daretobegreatleadership.com  Use the code WINSubscriber to get 10% off the online workshop Dare to Be Great: Strategies for Creating a Culture of Leading. 

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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