Only You Can Change Your Life

Mahatma Gandhi famously said: “ Be the change you want to see in the world.”

I say we need to first “Be the change you want to see in your life.”

Humans are adaptable. So adaptable that we are very much shaped by our environment. Especially by the people around us.

Be honest. How often have you complained about a stranger cutting you off in traffic? A coworker? A client? A neighbor? An employee? A friend? A family member? Your partner? Your child?

When you are unhappy with your life, you tend to put the blame on other people. “If only X would do this thing, then I would be happy.” If only somebody else did something different, then your life would change for the better.

But it rarely works that way. You cannot control other people. You cannot force them to behave how you want. Of course, you can try to persuade them. But you can never expect to succeed.

If you make your life dependent on other people’s decisions, then you are setting yourself up for misery. It is like Two-Face in Batman, blaming the luck of the coin for his behavior and his life.

Instead, you can regain control of your life by focusing on the one person in the world whom you can influence: yourself. It seems hard to initiate change. For a good reason. Your monkey brain…