We all want to be good at something. There’s a hell of a lot of somethings that people can be good at but it’s not always easy to find your something.

This past year has taught me a lot about becoming a writer, an influencer, a friend, and a family member but there’s an even bigger lesson that has resonated with me for months after I opened my eyes to it.

This year I learned how to master myself.

I learned that life wasn’t only happening to me. My life wasn’t this huge compilation of events that happened to me as much as my life was the accumulation of my reactions to those events.

When I thought I didn’t have money, I had no money. When I switched the gears and decided I was only going to think in the mindset that I did have money, I started to have money.

When I didn’t do anything I liked and only worked at a job that didn’t make me happy, I was unhappy and felt completely lost. When I started doing things that I liked every single day (some big and some tiny) and quit the job that was making me unhappy and gave it a shot at a new job, I was happy and felt like I was fulfilling my purpose.

There’s a pattern here.

I thought that I had no money, had a crummy job and was unhappy because that was the way my life was in that moment. That was just the way the hand had been dealt and it was my duty to deal with it and try to get through a tough time.

When my head was full of negativity there was a direct correlation to my life feeling really friggin’ negative.

After doing much reading, a lot of whining, and far more “WHY ME?!” moments, I realized that it was me that was making myself miserable.

Everyday that I spent thinking about how little money I had, how miserable I was, and how much I hated my job was another day that I spent poor, sad, and defeated.

It turns out that the first thing we should ever try to become incredible at is mastering ourselves.

It took a few months but finally I was over feeling badly for myself and I decided it was time for a change (for the umpteenth time).

This time I focused on my thinking and made sure that I ONLY ever thought positively about my financial situation.

I made sure that I did something that interested me every single day whether it was to read a chapter of a book, listen to a podcast, exercise, eat a good breakfast, anything that I knew would make me happy.

Lastly, I quit my job.

In 5 months I have been able to: consistently grow my savings account and book travel for the next three months, I have found my passion and my purpose, and I have started a career for myself that I love so much that I don’t feel like I’m ever working.

All of this came about because I took action on mastering my mind and being the captain of my life.

What I’ve realized from all of this is how much control we really do have. We think we’re stuck at a job we hate but that’s just a thought. Chances are there’s an opportunity that we are overlooking because we are so caught in our thoughts of being stuck that we can’t ever imagine being able to get unstuck from our current job, financial situation, or unhappiness.

It’s like putting blinders on and expecting to be able to see everything around you.

Of course you won’t be able to see everything that you could without the blinders and anyone that tried to argue that you CAN see everything around you when you have blinders on must not have ever taken theirs off.

When I became a master of myself I inadvertently became a master of my life. I started creating my beautiful life instead of having it create me into the bitter version of myself that I despised being.

Mastering yourself is the catapult that can take you to mastering anything else you’ve ever been curious about. It can lead you to your passions, your purpose, the relationship you’ve always dreamed of, the lifestyle that calls to you, and the opportunity that you never thought could exist.

It’s like building the foundation of a house. Build a strong foundation and you’ll have a sturdy home. Build an unbalanced foundation and you’ll be nervous every time a breeze comes through.

Figure out what patterns and situations you are using to limit yourself right now. End them. Master your mind and let the beauty of a life well lived begin to shine.

“Every master must first learn to master themselves before they can master anything else in the universe.” -Joe Duncan