Impacting Outcomes 007

What if you could have an impact on the outcome of every event that happened in your life.  We will find out the formula for impacting the outcome of any event in this episode of “Your Encore Life”.

You have heard about living your encore life, but you are frustrated or discouraged about whether you will ever get to a point where you can enjoy the freedom and satisfaction of being able to spend your time doing what you see is most valuable. You think:

There are too many obstacles My current job or career won’t provide the flexibility I need My spouse, family, or friends would not be supportive…maybe they would think I’m crazy I won’t have the financial capability to do anything else Things keep happening unexpectedly that get in the way of progress I don’t have the time

Excuses can make you feel better about you, but how is making them moving you toward your goals.

I became frustrated with my career years ago, feeling I wasn’t doing what I was meant to do.  I made excuses about not having the time or the financial means to do anything about it.  That attitude effected my entire outlook and bled over into my personal life.  I didn’t feel like I had any control over my situation. But I was wrong.

We may not have control over situations or events, but we do always have control over how we respond to them.  This all made sense when I heard a podcast by Kent Julian, where he talked about the formula E + R = O. He give credit for the formula to Dr. Jack Canfield.

Events + Response = Outcome:  We may or may not have any control over the events or situations that arise, but we always have control over our response to those events, leading to the ability to have some impact on the outcome.

Back to my story.  When I realized I that I needed to do something to start moving forward and stop feeling like a victim, I began reading great books and listening to podcasts and reading articles by thought leaders like John Maxwell, Michael Hyatt, John Ramstead, Seth Godin, and others. I realized that only by taking control of what I could….my response, would I be able to begin a trajectory toward where I knew I needed to be.

How I turned a scary situation/event (prostate cancer) that I had no control over to something positive that has had a lasting impact, and how being in community impacted my response.

Don’t Waste Your Cancer - John Piper Small Group Prayer Focus on being grateful for the blessings God has provided that I took for granted

When you don’t take control of your response, the formula becomes E = O = V, the V being what I said I felt like I had become a minute ago, a VICTIM. Most people function this way by blaming the situation on other people or other factors. Blaming something or someone else may be valid, but is never productive.

You can control your mindset or thinking, the way you communicate, the people you spend time with, the way you spend your free time.  You have control over that.

You can control how you respond to any event.  Often you can impact the outcome significantly by pausing briefly before responding and asking yourself:

Will my initial response ultimately impact the outcome positively or negatively. (ie. a situation where you feel you have been wronged, how might the way I respond out of anger make the situation worse, cause unintended collateral damage to others, or delay the healing process?)  Proverbs 29:11 says “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end”. How can I respond or turn what appears to be a negative event into an opportunity to bless others and myself by growing from the experience? How can I respond to this positive event to magnify it so the joy and growth from the event spreads over others and results in long term growth and gratitude?

Remember, stop and think before you respond. The best way I can ensure that my response to an event is thought out and appropriate it to take it to the Lord in prayer and ask Him for wisdom.  James 1:5 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Dr. Canfield says in an article that I reference in the show notes:

“You have to gain control of your thoughts, your images, your dreams, daydreams, and your behavior. Everything you think, say, and do need to become intentional and aligned with your purpose, your values, and your goals. If you don’t like your outcomes, change your responses.”

He goes on to say “Carefully choose how you respond to events – how you choose to interpret events, how you choose to think about and talk about what happened, how you choose to act — If you want to achieve better outcomes. Remember, you control your destiny … so make it a fantastic one!”

You can control what you do once you finish this episode.  You can dismiss it and continue as you were, or you can follow this action item:

Action Item:  As we prepare to begin our series on 20/20 vision for 2020, write down three situations or events that make you feel stuck or out of control, and write for each one how you can respond or change the way you already responded to change the outcome so you can move forward to leading your best encore life.

Resource:

Kent Julian - Live it Forward The Success Formula that Puts You in Control of Your Destiny - Dr. Jack Canfield Don’t Waste Your Cancer - John Piper Contact Craig