Three weeks ago, on 20 January, we sent you a slightly longer newsletter titled “It’s up to me … and I can.” That was based on interviews for a podcast series called Change in One Generation – the stories of people just like you, who came from difficult circumstances and found their way to success. They all made one point: you have to accept that your life is your responsibility. The outside world is not going to do it for you. But then there was a wonderful second message: you can. If you put in the work, you can make things happen for you.
A SUCCESSFUL PERSON BLAMES NO ONE, AND NO ONE WHO PLACES BLAME WILL EVER BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
Life is often hard. Life is not always fair. But as long as you see yourself as helpless in the face of your circumstances, you give away all your power. Henry Ford, who built the first car factory, said: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” The moment you start saying “I can” instead of “I can’t”, you take back your power and make everything possible. Your decisions, everything you do, are yours to celebrate – or sometimes to regret and learn from. One recent graduate wrote: “The world does not owe me anything. However my life turns out is up to me. Yes I have no control over some things, but how I feel about situations and how I react all depends on me.” Do watch this video, which we also referred to last week. This guy puts it so well.
The first half of every one of these statements may be true. The second half is up to you. Here’s a tool to help you find a way to deal with these stumbling blocks. Make two columns, like this:
One way to find options for the second column is to use the brandnew AI tools that are becoming available now. You might try ChatGPT or DeepSeek. Ask something like: “Please suggest solutions for my problem of having noisy roommates preventing me from studying enough to pass.” We did that, and received 15 different suggestions!
Having a plan does wonders for stress. Take back your power. Say, “I can.” You’ll see, you’ll prove yourself right.
