Are you sitting firmly in the driver’s seat of your life, making the decisions on which roads you are going to take, where you will take pit stops and even the model of car (e.g., type of life) that you drive? Or, are you a passenger on the bus, letting someone else make all the decisions for you?

Owning your life is scary stuff!

You have no one else to blame if your life doesn’t go the way you want it to. That’s a lot of responsibility…but the rewards of owning your own life far outweigh the potential fears, since it means that you are creating, building and living the life that you want.

Of course, when you own your life, not everything is a bed of roses. I can guarantee you that you are going to have difficult times, because difficult times are part of life and usually serve as teachers to help us grow and learn. However, when you own your life, even those difficult times are different because when you own them, they become part of who you are rather than an experience to avoid or blame.

So, what does it mean to own your life?

1. You are 100% responsible for your life.

You are responsible for every aspect of your life, not just whether or not you achieve your dreams. You are responsible for:

* Knowing what you want in your life

* Staying true to your vision and goals

* Understanding and living in integrity

* Living authentically — being true to who you are

* Every grudge and hurt that you carry — even if they were caused by someone else! — and working through and releasing them

* Every mistake you make and every success you have

* Your own happiness

* Forgiving others

* Every thought you have, every attitude you have, every action you take or don’t take, and every word you speak

2. You stop blaming other people or things for the way your life is.

You consciously choose to stop pointing your finger at another person, thing or event as the reason or blame for the way your life is, and instead turn it on yourself and say: “What do I need to do to fix this, move past this, and grow from this?”  You do this because you realize that things are going to happen that you cannot control, but you know that you can work through them. You know that every time you blame someone else or a situation, you effectively give away your power and negate your own ability to own and live your life — in effect, you are saying that this other person or this situation is much bigger, more valuable, more impactful than you are. When you own your life, you choose to empower yourself.

3. You look at things from a place of truth.

You don’t minimize things or put on rose-colored glasses to “blind yourself” to the truth of any situation, but you also know that the external situation does not define who you are or what you do with your life. You own what you can, you take the steps that feel right to you, and you release the rest.

4. You know what you want for and in your life.

You can’t own and be responsible for what you can’t define! You take the time to think about what you truly want — not what society, family, friends or anyone else says. And then you go after it. You know that the world is your oyster and that you need to define the type of pearl you want. You know that you are meant to live a life that makes your heart sing, and you work to overcome any fears or external expectations that might hold you back.

5. You are present in your life.

You live in the moment, but do spend time looking back to learn life lessons to apply to the moment and looking forward to define the vision you want to achieve and the steps to take in the moment. This allows you to choose to make the best possible decisions for exactly what you need at this moment in your life.

6. You make the life you want happen.

You make the time and space you need to take action to creating that life, and don’t let the responsibilities of day-to-day living (bill paying, work reports, meal preparation, etc.) take over your entire life. You commit to living your life and discover and work with your internal strength and drive to keep moving forward, even when you are tired, discouraged, facing another setback or just don’t feel like taking another step. You are your own cheerleader and your own taskmaster.

When you start owning your life, you realize that there is no other way to live.

If you’re looking for more inspiration on how to live your life, please visit my website at www.SpiritEvolution.co where you can download my free report on the six steps to take to live courageously and sign up for a free 20-minute session.

Post a comment below to let us know what you think of Jen’s six steps to owning your own life! We’d love to hear from you.

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