Is life unfair? Do you think you deserve more than you are getting? While many are loosing their jobs, others are getting fat cheque as bonus; while many are finding it hard to pay for their basic needs, others have the resources to buy exactly what they want without considering the price. So, is life really unfair? I read a story recently that set me thinking. One of the leading banks in the world announced plans to cut costs and this implies laying off about 15,000 of its workforce worldwide. Yet this same bank announced a ridiculously high bonus for it remaining staff.

Why would a bank that is laying off some staff announce payment of bonus to the remaining staff if indeed the focus is on cutting cost?  The response of the CEO was shocking. He said, “the only way to keep their best staff is to pay them high bonus“.  What is the difference between the ones laid off and those that received bonus? The difference? The people who are seemed to be successful – those living their dreams – are those that have learnt to manage their future. They live not at the mercies of others. They are in charge of their destiny.

How do you take charge of your destiny? Manage your future and mind your business. I am not not saying that you should resign from your job or rather that you should [tag]start your own business[/tag] now. Very few people are cut out for business. So, I will definitely not advise you to take that route if business is not passion. The challenge is for you to really be in charge. You don’t have to keep worrying that your [tag]job security[/tag] depends on the whims or moods of your current boss. The kind of live you have always wanted to live is within your reach. You can even transform your current job into that [tag]dream job[/tag].

The starting point is to control what happens in your career. You must take charge of your work life. You will have to fire your boss mentally. You will have to determine your own value. You will be setting your own goals. You have to be in charge of selecting the skills you wish to attain. You will also have your own personal work plan.You may need to do the following:

• Write your own job description: Write a brief description of your job. However, do not align yourself with a certain company, profession or specialization. Reflect on what you do each day and each week.
• Give yourself a performance review: Find out what other people with the same job description earn. Also find out the skills that are valued in this certain field.
• Define alternate courses: After you have done the two steps above, you will realize that there are alternate courses available to you. Brainstorm about all the other fields and occupations that would suit the job description that you created.
• Put your plan into writing: Develop your own plan for your work life. Remember that your future plans should not hinder the alternate courses you have defined. Note down the new skills you need to acquire.

Where you are today is a direct reflection of the words, thoughts and actions you took days, months and years ago. No matter how much you continue to blame your parents, teachers, where you grew up, television, the government or anything else, the truth is that nobody got you where you are today but yourself. The longer you choose not to take responsibility for your live, the longer you will be living uninspired lives that you do not love.