A very successful entrepreneur in the direct sales industry, I have found there are two kinds of people in the world: those who would like success and those who are serious about success. Think about it. Everyone wants success in their life; they want to make more money, have more time, have less stress and really make their mark in the world. The people who actually do it are the people who will not accept any alternatives.



For many people, it is easier to blame circumstance, adversity, their childhood, lack of status, job, boss, family, spouse, etc. etc. for their results. For some, the source of blame is luck. "If only I were luckier", they cry again and again, always playing victim to some unseen force. Those who have massive success, however, have decided to take full control over their lives and to be personally responsible for their results. They recognize and learn from their errors and mistakes and revel in the glory of their wins and accomplishments.

The key to taking control of your destiny and your results is to become a person of responsibility. Meaning, you recognize in your life that you are responsible, and have always been responsible, for the outcome. In doing so, there is a tremendous amount of freedom and peace. Not only do you realize that in being responsible are you in control, but you are no longer victim to circumstance, other people or chance. You have the opportunity to create your results. Win or lose, it is completely up to you.

Napolean Hill, author of Thank and Grow Rich, ingeniously stated, "Every adversity, every failure and every headache carries with it the Seed of an equivalent or a greater Benefit." Accepting full responsibility for our results allows us to become creative, dynamic and focused on exactly what we want, not what we don't want. We recognize success in our failures, learn from our mistakes and move proactively on. The person who is personally responsible is solution-focused and empowered.

Consider this example. Two people both start restaurants in the same town (Owner A & Owner B). They specialize in the same type of cuisine, have equally beneficial locations and the same amount of business/restaurant experience.

After 6 months of business, Owner A & Owner B both find themselves at a crossroads. Business has not been as successful as they had hoped and both are facing dire financial situations. They contact you, a professional business consultant who specializes in assisting business owners grow and develop their businesses into thriving enterprises.

Owner A spends most of the meeting complaining about the stingy customers, the lack of traffic, the vendors he uses, the quality of his staff. You hear him openly criticize one of his waitstaff. You can feel the stress in the air and the staff seem frustrated and nervous. Owner A goes on and on about the tragedy of his business and tells you he plans to file for bankruptcy in two months if you don't help him. You ask Owner A for his proposed solution and he puts it on you, asking if you can save his business. He begins complaining about your fees and is almost accusing in his tone and demeanor

Owner B spends most of his time praising his staff and customers. The wait staff is friendly and smiling and everyone is eager to be at the establishment. The owner tells you he recognized that, while he has a great establishment, he will require improvement to grow. He tells you he should have hired a marketing consultant in the beginning but thought he could do it on his own. He recognizes that to grow his business, he will have to bring more customers into the door and have their experience be so great they will want to come back as repeat customers. He shares his ideas with you and asks for your input, letting you know that he is committed to creating a great dining experience and a flourishing business. He also recognizes that your fees must indicate your value and the value you will provide to him. He is happy to see you are proud of your work and feel deserving of your fees and he knows this indicates your professionalism and experience.

After 12 months, who do you believe would still be in business and who, as a business consultant, would you be eager to assist? Obviously Owner B. Owner B realizes he has made some mistakes and he has taken full responsibility for them. By doing so, he has recognized where he can improve and has asked for your assistance for guidance and direction, rather than seeing you as the lifesaver that will keep him from drowning.

Taking control of our results is a direct result of accepting responsibility. There is power in knowing what we achieve, or don't achieve, is a direct result of the actions we take. In this is there is freedom and the reality that we can truly achieve whatever it is we focus on. As Napolean Hill said in Think and Grow Rich, "Anything the mind of a man can conceive and believe, he can achieve." The choice is yours.