Take charge of your life - now

“Taking charge of your life is really about taking responsibility for your life.”

 ~Stephen R. Covey

These last few weeks have been somewhat of a roller coaster.  As I approach my last semester before graduating, I have reflected much on both the principles I learned during my time as a student in the Great Work Great Career program, and as a current intern for the program. Lately I have become slightly overwhelmed with the common stresses of balancing summer classes with a part-time job, an internship, family vacations, preparations for the fall semester of work and school, applying for “grown-up jobs”, and how can I forget—Thursday night city league softball.  I have realized that I am in charge of my situation and in charge of what I accomplish.  

Throughout our lives we will be presented with many different obstacles and opportunities.  As college students, we are so busy finding the medium between not working so much that our schooling suffers and working enough so we can pay the bills.  Not to mention the time we must spend looking for the extra opportunities that will add to our education and future careers such as internships, volunteer work, study abroad and other summer business exploration trips. 

In one of the online videos entitled Take Charge that we discuss in the Great Work Great Career Learning Group, Dr. Covey states, “Every moment, every situation provides a new choice.  This gives you a perfect opportunity to do things differently now—to produce more positive results now.”  As the summer ends and we get ready to start a new semester, all of us have the opportunity to make new choices, do things differently and produce more positive results for ourselves and those around us.  Students have the choice to either make it another mediocre semester of only coming to class when absolutely necessary and putting in just the minimal amount of effort to pass the class, or, to be actively engaged in the material they are learning and the experiences they are having, knowing that that choices now can have a lasting impact on their lives forever. 

I don’t yet know what I want to be when I grow up, but I know that my opportunities will be multiplied as I proactively engage myself in making positive decisions as situations present themselves.  In the Great Work Great Career Learning Group, created by Dr. Stephen R. Covey, students have the potential to identify and develop their unique skill sets, learn how to take charge of their lives, get the work they want and make a lasting contribution to whatever and whomever they associate themselves. 

School starts in less than a week.  No matter what stage of school you are in you have many decisions ahead of you.  Be proactive in your decision-making.  As Dr. covey said, “Proactive people are responsible.”  Take charge of your life—now.