"When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need
to ask permission of other people or society at large. When
you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life."
-- Albert F. Geoffrey
Oprah's new network, OWN, presents a show called "Masters" in which people Oprah admires -- such as Sidney Poitier, Maya Angelou, Jay Z, Condoleeza Rice -- share their thoughts and their life lessons. They are "teaching," giving insights from the journey they've walked thus far. Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to watch Oprah herself as the guest speaker. Her words were inspirational and thought provoking.
Oprah (and I) believe there is no such thing as luck. We believe every person makes his own luck with preparation and then noticing and accepting opportunities when they come along. As I listened, I thought it was easier for Oprah to give this advice now that she has truly found success and she can look back with 20/20 vision. In hindsight, once successful, I imagine, it's not quite as difficult to look backward at the turning points or opportunities taken that changed a life's trajectory and moved it to the place they have become. I think it's harder to identify those decisions made that moved us ahead when we don't know what "ahead" is for us.
Many people don't seem to ever find out what their passion is. They don't hear a compelling message or calling. They don't feel it in their bones. Some don't even desire to know it. It's these people who may certainly miss those opportunities when they do present, having not been in tune with their direction or even their desires.
Another type of person is me. I am one who thought I did know what I was meant to do from when I was a teenager. But, yet, I'm not doing (full time) what I think I'm meant for. Have I missed opportunities or turned my back when they presented? Is what I think I'm meant to do not really it? Have I been mistaken all these years?
Asking for permission or doing what we think we're supposed to and thereby giving someone else veto power, is closing our doors and not hearing the whispers pointing us in the right direction for us. The best thing any person can do is to take charge of his own life. That is how we'd get the best from every person. One thing about aging and beginning to "get it," is perhaps taking back our veto power and making our own decisions which are always the right ones.
*Source: Digh, Patti. Life is a Verb. Guilford, Connecticut: skirt! The Globe Pequot Press, 2008. Print. P. 35.
www.lifeisaverb.net
www.pattidigh.com
