Inspiration | Life

Take Charge of Your Circumstances

They are not completely beyond your control

Did you know you can control your future circumstances and significantly influence those that affect you now? Yes, it is possible. All you need to do is realize how much power and control you have.

Let’s examine the three types of circumstances everyone faces and what you can do about them!

Circumstances

There are three kinds of circumstances. Those from your past, those you are currently in, and those you create in your future. While there is nothing you can do about the past, there is plenty you can do about current and future circumstances.

What exactly is a circumstance? I love the Oxford Languages dictionary’s definition:

“circumstance — noun — a fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action.”

Its definition tells us what they are and where they originate but says nothing about your influence over current circumstances or your power over those to come.

Let’s look at how you can deal with existing circumstances and those you create in the future. Please note I will use circumstances, situations, outcomes, events, and conditions interchangeably from this point forward.

Current circumstances

What do your current circumstances tell you about yourself? Give this question some thought. While some situations may be outside your control, you can impact their effect. Let’s look at those outside your control and those you can influence.

“Circumstances do not determine a man, they reveal him.” James Lane Allen (1849–1925)

Many circumstances in life are beyond your control. Some of these include where you were born, the family you were born into, the era you live in, natural events such as earthquakes and storms, and so forth. The truth is there is little in the natural world anyone can control.

Yet, because everything connects, you can exert influence even over natural events. This influence comes through what you do in the midst of them.

You can also control how you view your circumstances through the subjective nature of your mindset and worldview. You can choose to see the country you were born in as a curse, a blessing, or anywhere in between. You can choose to see the family you were born into in many ways. You can choose to see the weather as nice or not, as pleasant or unpleasant, depending on various physical, physiological, and psychological factors.

While many circumstances are fixed and unchangeable, your view of them can create happiness, joy, calm, unhappiness, misery, pain, stress, etc. How you see each situation will make a significant impact on your life.

When you view the world positively, you will see many situations as positive. If you view the world negatively, you will see many of them in a negative light.

There is no question that your mindset and worldview significantly impact shaping your life.

“It always remains true that if we had been greater, circumstance would have been less strong against us.” George Eliot (1819–1880)

Circumstances you create

As stated earlier, circumstance is “a fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action.” How much control do you have over facts or conditions? Quite a bit when you create the event and take action.

Not every situation is beyond your control. While you can’t change the past, you can influence what will come. What you do and who you become impacts future events in your life.

There are many circumstances you can control by the actions you take. When you work, why not continually improve yourself to build your career? Doing this will create better outcomes for you and your loved ones. When you save regularly, you can significantly enhance your comfort in retirement. You can create a happy and enduring marriage by marrying the right person, treating them respectfully, and appreciating them. Any outcome you can imagine is influenced by your actions today and tomorrow.

“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself.

For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”

Martha Washington (1731–1802)

Personal views significantly influence how much you enjoy life, regardless of what is happening around you.

An example of this is when you work in a company. You may take the view that your work is meaningless and your situation is terrible. Or you may see your job as meaningful and life-giving, creating good in your life. It is not uncommon for two people in the same position to have such opposing views depending on their perspectives.

Where you wind up in life results from what you do now and intend to do in the future. When you become an adult and take control, there is no excuse not to improve your circumstances, but the choice is yours.

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” James Allen (1849–1925)

Changing your circumstances

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” Nido R Qubein (1948-present)

You can influence the circumstances in your life in many ways. Once again, your future outcomes will be what you make them by who you are and who you become. The more you work on yourself, the more your conditions will improve.

Following are some things you can do to change, create, or improve your circumstances:

• Study and learn more about yourself and others
• Learn, learn, learn. Become a lifelong learner
• Maintain a strong work ethic
• Set goals for your life
• Create a life plan
• Seek more education or that degree
• Advance in your career, perhaps even changing jobs
• Find someone to love, marry, and have children with
• Read books that help you become more than you are
• Journal to expand and deepen your thoughts
• Find at least one mentor or coach, whether formal or informal
• Get the right people in your life, and limit those who affect you negatively
• Welcome and become accountable to someone else or others
• Let go of hate, jealousy, regrets, fear, and any other such thing that can hold you back
• Take care of your health by eating well, regularly exercising, getting enough sleep, and getting annual physicals
• Find ways to reduce stress
• Practice mindfulness and learn to live in the present moment
• Find meaning and purpose in your life
• Travel the world
• Take some risks!
• Laugh often

To get you started on the last item above, heed what this wise man has to say:

“Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.” Dave Barry (1947-present)

Sorry, I couldn’t resist!

This short list gives you an idea of how much you can do to influence your future circumstances. What else would you add?

You can find more on changing your circumstances in this short article: How You Can Best Deal With Circumstances

Final thoughts

In conclusion, while you must accept current circumstances, you do not need to remain content with them. Each day presents new opportunities to influence the future. All you need to do is dream, plan, work, and act so your outcomes better align with what you want.

“Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise.” Samuel Lover (1791–1868)

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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