We have full control over the life we lead and must learn to accept our responsibility for all of our decisions and actions (as well as our indecisions and inactions). So, the next time you feel unempowered about something, instead of saying “I can’t do…” or “I can’t be…” say “I won’t…”

It feels strange and kinda icky to say …as if we’ve suddenly realized our inability to do something is actually OUR fault or within our control and we’ve simply chosen to not take appropriate action instead of us just being a victim of some external, invisible force (like the economy -hint, hint). Saying “I won’t” places the accountability back on US. Yeah, it feels kinda weird at first.

When we say we won’t, it’s like we said, “Well, I could’ve if I wanted to, but I chose not to and I didn’t, but if I really want to I can and if I decide to I will.”  Instead, we’ve chosen to use the word “can’t” to take the responsibility off us.  Heaven forbid we accept responsibility for our decisions (even if they were subconscious).  We use it so often as an excuse, we’ve actually convinced ourselves that we’re now powerless.  “Can’t” is known as a slave word -it disempowers us, according to R. Neville Johnston (and I completely agree).

Using “won’t” is empowering.  We’re not used to empowering ourselves.  We feel out of place.  We must first recognize and acknowledge the power within us so we can bring it into our lives.

The neat part is… when you realize you’re no longer a victim and recognize you actually DO have complete control over 100% your life, you will learn to make BETTER decisions to have a better life. Cool, eh? (It’s that whole ‘Law of Attraction & Abundance’ thing. Check it out sometime. Really.)

Try it.

Choose to do it over and over. You WILL see a sudden change in your thinking.  To grow you must step out of your comfort zone.
And, naturally, when your thinking changes, your life will change right along with it.

Mike Lewitz is an innovative marketer who truly 'gets' the mental and emotional buying process of consumers. He's shown thousands of global business owners proven, cutting-edge marketing methods that bring abundant results.  Mike is a Google Certified Advertising Professional, holds two Bachelor's degrees (business & marketing) and M.B.A. in Management.

You may freely distribute, copy & share this article with acknowledgment.

The ‘thing’ that separates the successful from the unsuccessful lies in WHERE one searches for their success: externally vs. internally.

In my time of helping others, a common theme I have noticed among those who are struggling in any particular area have the mindset of:

If someone would just show/tell me what to do, just give me a system I can use, I would do it… whatever it is, whatever it takes.  I’m dedicated and committed.

They’ll walk across broken glass to find the solution.

Sure, we need others to teach and show us important concepts so we can grow and evolve, but those who are successful recognize the ability to perform and demonstrate knowledge to achieve what they want will only be discovered within themselves.

Those who always struggle never choose to look deep within themselves to find the answers.  They’re constantly looking to others for the answers.

Here’s a simplistic example… when we were first learning to tie our shoe, someone showed us, helped us… until we slowly got it.  A couple people showed us different ways.  The first time we got it was luck.  We still had to practice.  Eventually, we developed our own way of tying shoes.  Today we’re a pro and could teach anyone.

Now, imagine being an adult, never learned to tie a shoe and now want to learn.  When asking that “pro” how to tie a shoe, the conversation will probably go something like… “Oh, it’s really easy.  All you have to do is…”

They’ll give a simple system for tying any shoe, and “all you have to do is” keep following their system and have the perfect tied shoe every time, right?  …because they said exactly what to do, they even gave a simple system.  This just isn’t true.

Other examples some may identify with…

Starting a business.
Some have the instinct of what it takes to make it in business and know enough to create everything themselves.  They’ll go study knowledge they need and then figure out how to mold that information to expand their success model.  They’ll even employ others into the model they created.  Unfortunately, many are looking for an existing system to make them successful …someone to show them what to do so they can mold themselves into an existing model.  This isn’t a path to success.

Happiness.
Happy people are like successful people …they figured out where to find it.  People who are unhappy and seeking happiness search endlessly for external happiness: intimate relationships, money, material possessions, alcohol, etc.  Sure, there are techniques that help bring happiness, such as exercise, stress relievers, but there is no person, system, or tool that can bring happiness to anyone.  Happy people discovered happiness within themselves by learning and applying techniques that helped them find happiness.  The exact same follows with successful people.

This is a difficult concept to explain, but the core message is:
There is no shortcut to success.

Too many people are out looking for an existing system, or the perfect business opportunity, or ‘something’ that is going to make them successful.  They continue believing they’re struggling because they simply “haven’t found something that works for them” yet.  With this mentality, it will never be found.

This is also contrasted as the employee vs. the employer mentality.

The employee mentality is looking for something that’s already working and do more of it, doesn’t like to take risks, wants security and is afraid of re-inventing the wheel.

The employee mentality is constantly seeking ways to benefit themselves.

The employer mentality is always trying to figure out new ways to do things, takes risks, prefers the thrill of the unknown and desires creating new concepts from scratch, even at the risk of re-inventing the wheel.

The employer mentality is constantly trying to figure out new ways to provide more to other people.

To evolve from the employee to the employer mentality we must evolve our thought processes from following someone else’s creation to becoming the creator of our own processes.

Mike Lewitz is an innovative marketer who truly 'gets' the mental and emotional buying process of consumers. He's shown thousands of global business owners proven, cutting-edge marketing methods that bring abundant results.  Mike is a Google Certified Advertising Professional, holds two Bachelor's degrees (business & marketing) and M.B.A. in Management.

You may freely distribute, copy & share this article with acknowledgment.

Mike Lewitz, MBA

Mike Lewitz is among a rare handful of people born and raised (and still residing) in Arizona.  Throughout his young adult life working for small mom & pop’s to Fortune 100′s, Mike quickly recognized the obvious value and importance of a constant inflow of paying customers.

Over time, Mike became very interested in understanding the catalysts -or ‘triggers’- that cause people to take certain actions and, ultimately, buy certain things and do business with others… the field known as marketing. In studying successful small business people, Mike learned the most important piece of information to leverage the success of a business:

Every single job, position and task in a business can (and should) be hired out and performed by someone other than the owner…

…EXCEPT the marketing.

Mike loves studying people… What are they thinking?  What makes them act a certain way or do certain things?  What motivates them to behave the way they do?  He is always calculating ‘Why’ someone did what they did; the cause and the effect.

Basically, studying how people act and react is the field of psychology.  But when we APPLY psychology in a business sense, we call it:  MARKETING

Marketing is applied psychology.

Like most people, Mike has endured many personal difficulties in his life that have given him the strength and courage to now face many adversities.  His ‘question everything’ perspective has led him on an incredible journey that has brought him to a place of highly evolved spirituality where true happiness and wealth are gained only through serving others and elevating them to a higher level.

Today, as a professional marketer, international speaker and small business coach, Mike Lewitz has worked with people around the globe teaching them how to apply the latest cutting-edge and proven marketing principles into their businesses and eliminate scarcity to open doors and attract new opportunities.  Mike also enjoys speaking at special events and consulting with small business owners who are looking to take their business to the next level of customer.

Mike holds two Bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Phoenix and an MBA in Management from Western International University.  He also follows a strict vegan diet for optimum health and is an avid student of astrology.

“Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others.” -Helen Keller