*** Show Notes ***

What if I told you that everything that has happened or is happening in your life you intended? All the good and the bad, and the specially the bad, you intended. Yep, it’s true! Not only did you intend it, but orchestrated.

Welcome back to another episode of the Internal Journey. I’m your host Kam Knight, author of numerous books in the area of mental and human performance. Each week we get at the root of your internal resistance to unlock your full potential in all areas of your life, whether that’s personal, professional, or relationships.

I did an emotional intelligence course several years back that talked about this very concept. They asked us to think about how everything that is going on in our lives - even the difficult and frustrating parts we made happen. The pain, the struggle, the ill health, the financial insecurity, the heart breaks, and everything in between, even all the times we are late, don’t show up on time, or miss important meetings or events, we intended.

This was a hard pill to swallow. To accept responsibility for all of it. Because prior to that, I blamed people, circumstances, upbringing, insecurity, and more. But to accept that I orchestrated and am currently orchestrating what happened and is happening in my life, specially right now, was a big pill to swallow. It was much easier to blame people and circumstances, than deal with the challenges of the real world.

In other words, if I truly wanted something else or different, or to have something happen, I could have been doing something else or different to make that happen. But instead I was not. I was trapped within the confines of my fears, habits, beliefs of what I thought was possible or not, and what people think or will think of me. I allowed these parts of me to control my decisions, actions, and behaviors, and as a result, was orchestrating everything happening in my life.

Now, it is easy to go into the extreme and say that somethings are outside of our control. In some ways that is true. How much choice or control does one have living under a dictatorship or difficult situation. There are exceptions to the rule, but don’t let the exceptions become the excuse that leads to the norm…I talk more about that in this video here.

Once I started to accept that I orchestrated how my life turned out and is turning out, a magical shift happened. I realized I could do something about it. I don’t have to leave life up to chance, I can be more intentional. If I wanted to be on time, instead of saying, well I hope I will arrive on time, I could plan things out, even if that means looking at my schedule a whole day or week ahead of time. I have the power to do that, if I choose.

If I want a presentation to go well... Instead of hoping people will like it, I can put intention on practicing, asking the host or audience what they want to hear, and even learning how to become a good presenter. Sometimes, I went out of my way to ask random people if I could practice in front of them and get their feedback. Sure I’m going through great lengths, but if I truly wanted the presentation to go well, it’s in my power and control to make that happen.

If I want to improve a skill... I can make time for it, go out and take lessons, get coaching from experts, put up with the pain and frustration of countless mistakes until I get it right, and more importantly, cutting out distractions that might get in the way. I don’t wait or hope that things will work out. I am intentional about them working out and put in the effort to make them work out. 

For example... I recently launched this YouTube channel, and was having difficulty posting on time. The person who edits the video wasn’t getting back to me fast enough or finding good footage for the videos, and I was getting upset and frustrated and was feeling like I was at the mercy of situations and events..

Though looking at how I was contributing to this happening, I realized... I could send him the video a little earlier, so he has more time to make the edits or help him find the footage I want him to use. Although that would involve extra effort to plan out the video ahead of time, and possibly work the weekend before, if I truly intended it to come out on the intended date, I could take those actions.

To summarize, when you can accept that everything in your life - whether good or bad and even accidents - are what you are intending to happen... you gain more control of what’s happening. You realize that you actually have power. You have the ability to make things happen, and more importantly, the ability to improve things. 

A great exercise to do is to write down everything you don’t like in your life, and next to each item, write all the things you did to orchestrate it. You might be overweight because you chose to eat unhealthy and didn’t search for better alternatives. You might dislike your job because you choose not to go to school or find a better one. You might not like the relationship you’re in because you did not communicate what the person was doing you disliked, or you chose not to learn healthy ways to communicate. You never got better at that hobby because you kept giving up when things got tough.

In that doing, you’ll start realizing the things you can do to make it better. If you know the things you are doing to have that outcome, you’ll start to see the changes you need to make to improve it. It’s a great exercise I highly recommend.

Or anytime things don’t go well, think about how you intended or orchestrated that... And you’ll quickly realize the things you can do to fix it, not allow it to happen again, or at the very least, not be so upset about it.

Alright, this is Kam Knight of the Internal Journey, please make sure to like and subscribe so you are notified of these fantastic eye opening episodes.

******* Check Out My Latest Books *******

- Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour - https://www.mindlily.com/speed-reading

- Everyday Memory: Easy Ways to Remember Names, Dates, Facts, Lectures, Directions... - https://www.mindlily.com/memory

- Concentration: Maintain Laser Sharp Focus and Attention for 5 Hours or More - https://www.mindlily.com/concentration

Conquer Internal Resistance to Make More Money, Have Better Relationships, and Live a Fulfilling Life - https://www.mindlily.com/ir