(ThyBlackMan.com) There are few people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Most of us have come or are coming up the rough side of the mountain. We have had our share of disappointments, setbacks and letdowns. If your goals have not been achieved and your dreams have been shattered; if you have seen the downside of up far too many times, I want you to know you are in the right place for empowerment! The Creator has already given you the tools for success. You have within you what the eminent professor Jan Christian Smuts called the ‘power of self-direction’. This God-given power allows you to learn from your mistakes, rise above your circumstances and live victoriously. You are empowered. You are enabled. Follow this simple road-map toward and live an empowered life:
- Define where you are and assume responsibility for it.
This first step requires that you be brutally honest with yourself. Never mind where others believe you to be, where are you? What’s working or not working? When you answer this question, it is important that you do not assign judgment. There are not too many people who are exactly where they want to be. It is imperative that you adopt an attitude of responsibility for your life and resist the tendency to blame someone else. Resolutely declare that the buck stops here!
- Understand yourself holistically.
You are a spiritual being on a physical journey. You are not what you feel at this given moment. We get stressed out because we compartmentalize our lives into these neat little boxes that begin to bump in to each other. Living holistically means that you give time to the four pillar of your existence: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
- Discover your own good.
Do not allow yourself to be defined by others. Most people are too 
often shaped by opinions. In effect, they are living their ‘assigned’ dream – the dream that others have designed for them. Don’t let that be you! Time to dream on your own.
- Understand the difference between what you can control and what you may influence.
What we invent can be controlled. What was invented outside of us can only be influenced. The sooner you learn that important distinction, the more rewarding life you will experience.
- Determine where you wish to go
What is the life you imagine? Have you ever asked yourself this question? What do you want? Where would you like to end up? See the end result and begin there.
- Stop waiting to receive
The Calvary is not coming! Too often God is used as a crutch; we keep saying we are waiting on God and God is constantly asking ‘what’s your move?’
- Identify your obstacles.
What lies ahead? Look for potential roadblocks as well as victories. But be careful not to allow obstacles to become reasons for not moving. As one street sign puts, “Don’t park here.”
- Strategize your way past obstacles.
What do you have to do to get past the roadblocks? Make a plan. Execute it again and again and again. Retool it if need be. Re-launch and keep moving.
- Know where you are going and keep moving.
Too many people become unnerved when they cannot see two steps ahead. But, as a headlight is designed to illuminate the next one hundred sixty feet, so must you trust your instinct and know that the path is always illuminated – even in our darkest hours.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both. For more inspiration visit me at: http://www.infinitefitnesscoaching.com.