"People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives."

Stedman Graham

Life will always happen. An integral part of the human experience is the facing of challenges and difficulties which I firmly believe have been specifically designed to forge character and bring out the very best in us.

How else are we to know the very limits of our potential or ability (if any) unless we are tested? How else we to realise that there are is little we are unable to achieve unless we face and overcome challenges?

The problem however is not in the challenges we face but how we choose to view those challenges. Yes, choose. It is a choice. Life is a continuous series of events and choices. The choices we make in turn have a direct impact on our attitude and consequently on the very state of our lives.

Unfortunately, some see themselves as victims of circumstance and believe that there is very little they can do to turn their lives around. Instead of taking control of their lives and steering their lives in the direction of their dreams they become passengers in their journey of their own lives.

The very point you happen to be in your life right now is a series of events and choices you have made. The state of your life at the moment is more a function of the collective choices you have made at various points in your life in response to various situations and challenges; and has less to do with the situations and circumstances themselves.

The reason I say this simply because others have faced nearly identical circumstances as you, made different choices and consequently are having a different life experience at this very point in their lives. Often times we come up with justifications for our situation that we subconsciously disempower ourselves.

We disempower ourselves with this kind of response to our circumstances because when we externalise the blame on everything and everyone else but ourselves, we give our power away and fail to see how we can creatively come up with adequate responses or think of a way out. We spend far too much energy externalising the blame and spend relatively less effort on creative solutions to our problems.

We blame just about anything we can lay our hands on - the economy, lack of money, lack of networks, lack of education, our boss, our work, for their situation. Now, here’s the clincher – by externalising the blame, we take away the power from ourselves to find a solution and subconsciously expect the "guilty party" to provide the solution.

Instead of examining ourselves and REALLY thinking of ways to get out of that situation, we remain stuck, perpetually frustrated and afraid to make the bold move that will turn our lives around. We subconsciously hope that circumstances will reverse by themselves and that our lives will automatically change for the better.

Unfortunately, this is not the way life works. Things only change, when we decide to change. Life gets better, when we decide to become better.

If you want something and want it bad enough, you have to set aside all the excuses and go out there and get it. You have to become so focused on achieving this goal or objective that you yourself almost become a force of nature, that not only attracts the right opportunities to himself but your dream and vision becomes so compelling that it energises you daily.

There is always something that is magnetic about a people with a clear vision and who know what they want out of life. Not only are people drawn to them, but because their beliefs and mind-set are focused on solutions, they always seems to come out on top even when faced with challenges.

Think of this way – there are countless stories of men and women who had it all, lost it all and even declared bankruptcy; only to bounce back and regain all their wealth. There are also countless stories of men and women who had it all, lost it all and remained poor for the remainder of their lives. Both groups were faced with similar dire circumstances but made different choices.

The only difference between the latter and the former is that the former chose to be responsible for their fate and refused to let life’s circumstances dictate their station in life. The choice is yours.