#WhatWorks Who’s Your CEO?

There’s an art to getting what you want.

I’m learning that there’s an art to getting what you want and its foundation is built on the ability to tell, not ask.

We’ve been conditioned to ask for permission. This comes up a lot for me in my transition from my job to running my own business.

With international travel coming up, my first inclination was to ask my clients, “Is this okay with you? How about the time zone thing, can we make that work?” Luckily, I stopped myself. Instead, I needed to ask myself, “Am I okay with this? Can I make this work?”

The decision isn’t up to anyone except for me.

Decisions are hard—I’m sure you know this. They are a daunting thing, especially when you’re working to do something big and important. Sometimes, it can be easier to just let someone else tell us what we can and can’t do. But, when we give the power to other people to make decisions for us, we’re letting go of everything we want for ourselves. People aren’t going to make the same choices for us as we would. Whether it’s our bosses, clients, or even our parents. We have to stop giving other people the power. And, we have to stop letting the decisions that those people would make enter our process.

Tell people what you’re doing, don’t ask. You can be totally conscious about letting people know what you’re up to. You can prove yourself by being there and showing up in big ways, but you’ll do it on your own terms. In a way where you’re not asking for permission (hello resentment).

We have the responsibility, especially in the time we’re living in, to be the CEO of our own lives. And, if you can’t be the CEO of your own life, you have to ask yourself…Who the hell is?

The #WhatWorks series.