The Wheel is Yours
There’s tremendous positivity in taking control by taking the wheel.
I used to be something of a control freak. Truth be told, I haven’t entirely let that go.
For example – when we take a trip, I like to be the driver. There are several of my friends – and my wife – whom I have no problem taking the passenger seat to. But given the chance – I prefer to drive.
Most people, I believe, desire at least a modicum of control in their lives. They would like to control their environment, certain people, circumstances, and a lot of various notions far afield from the self.
The truth of control is that, when it comes to life, the Universe, and everything, it’s a limited notion. In fact, you control exactly ONE THING ONLY. YOU.
On the surface, that doesn’t seem like much at all. But it’s everything.
How many people do you know who you feel allow themselves to be led by others? What about the people you see applying little to no logic and reason? Have you directly or indirectly dealt with people who seem utterly unwilling to assert themselves in the slightest?
I know I can say yes to all of these. You likely can, too. That being written, lots and lots of people don’t take control of their lives, and thus allow themselves to be victims, pawns, peons, and meat-puppets on a day-to-day basis.
But the truth is that the wheel is yours. Control belongs to you – and you can take the wheel and drive life how and where you desire it to go.
But to do this, you must begin with mindfulness.
Mindfulness: Getting behind the wheel
Since the only control you have in this life is over yourself – you need to be aware of yourself.
This includes aches and pains, weight, appearance, where you physically are, and so on. But more than that, this is about your inner being and the depths of your subconscious.
You break down into three distinct points of existence. Unconsciousness, subconsciousness, and consciousness.
- Unconsciousness is that which you do purely automatically. Overall breathing, swallowing, digesting, and similar things your mind and central nervous system do unaided.
- Subconsciousness is where your habits, beliefs, and overall sense of self exists. It is subconscious because you CAN access it but largely don’t. Subconscious is passive, doing things by rote and routine.
- Consciousness is here and now. It’s your inner being, specifically your mindset/headspace/psyche sense of self. Conscious is active, choosing and deciding things in the moment.
Awareness of the conscious self opens you to accessing the subconscious self. That allows you to see your habits, beliefs, and deep-seated ideas of self. That, in turn, opens you to change anything you desire to.
To access the conscious self and practice mindfulness, all you have to do is be aware of your senses. Awareness of sensory input makes you conscious of yourself, as well as where, how, and why you are in this moment.
This is not just taste, touch, sound, smell, sight, and sixth-sense matters – it’s also your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. Being aware, here and now, of these puts you in control of them – and your conscious inner being.
All told, mindfulness puts you in control. It is how you take the wheel and drive the car that is your life experience.
But nobody lives in a vacuum. Which means you cannot ignore nor deny other people in your immediate vicinity.
Control is for you alone
Some people, in the interest of control, seek it outside of themselves. In some instances, this involves looking to others to direct and guide you. But in others, it involves controlling other people.
You can control nobody but YOU. It is the only control you truly have in this life. Period.
There are far too many examples of people trying to assert control over other people in this world. But it never works – or when it does, it eventually fails. And even when it appears to work – it’s a lie.
When you start to assert control over yourself and take the wheel, you will encounter people that will react poorly to it. Particularly if you were previously pliable to them and aren’t anymore. They may call you selfish.
Self-care and assuming control over your life are not selfish. Selfishness only comes into play when you knowingly do something that causes harm. And I don’t mean a break-up knowing the other person will be hurt by it – I mean being a politician and voting against the better interests of your constituents knowing how much they suffer – and will suffer more – and the like.
Everyone has their own wheel, whether they choose to take it or not. Nobody has the power to control anyone else – or drive their vehicle for them. You can set-up the road, direct them, lead them, push them – but they are always the ones driving whether they take the wheel.
This is a matter of positivity
This has been a fear-based society for as long as I have known. The past year, though, has put it under a microscope like never before. Between the ongoing battle with COVID-19, some of the most distressing politics imaginable, loss, and a year largely beyond the control of everyone – fear and uncertainty are everywhere.
Yet you are capable of finding moments of joy. The power to find and create things that make you feel good has never left you. It may be more challenging to access, but it’s still there. And all you need to do to access it is to take the wheel.
The wheel is yours to take and always has been. I know that’s often challenging, perplexing, and frustrating. But it’s still the truth. Because you are inside your control.
To be fair, you are going to have bad times and experiences. You’re going to feel lousy; get upset; get hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally; and suffer due to matters far outside your control.
When this happens – and it will – you get to choose what to do about it. Allow it to dominate your life and make you a victim – or teach a lesson and open the way to something new?
You get to decide on what, how, and why you desire your life to be. The positivity of that is tremendous – because it means you can change virtually everything within yourself.
And all control you have lies within you. That’s amazing potential and possibility.
It isn’t hard to see that the wheel is yours
It begins with mindfulness of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions.
Knowing that you are the only one who can control you, the ability to take that and run with it becomes stronger and more attainable. When you take the wheel and drive your life where, how, and why you desire for it to be, that ultimately empowers you.
When you feel empowered, your mindfulness increases, you become more aware overall, and that gets reflected and spreads to people around you. This creates a feedback loop of awareness and positivity.
You build more positive feelings and discover further reasons to feel positivity and gratitude. That can be the impetus to improve numerous aspects of your life for the better, help overcome the overwhelming negativity of any current situation, and generate yet more positivity and gratitude.
You are worthy and deserving of all the good you desire.
An attitude of gratitude is an attitude of pure positivity. That positivity can generate even greater positive energies – and that, like you, is always worthwhile.
This is the three-hundred and seventieth entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog, and spread the positivity.
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