Before we start, though, I have an amazing gift for you! The annual LWSL Holiday Planner is our most popular freebie of the year, because it can help you enjoy a holiday season full of more joy and less stress. It’s available completely free for a limited time, so grab yours now!

Now, onto today’s episode! It’s sometimes hard to accept, but you can’t control what other people do or say, or many of the bad things that happen to you. What you can control is how you respond.

In October 2014, Allison Toepperwein found the courage to walk away from a toxic marriage and start over as a single mom. It was painful, scary, and hard, and she couldn’t imagine her year getting any worse. Unfortunately, she couldn’t have been more wrong: she was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s just a few months later, in her mid-30s. After crying herself to sleep, she was going to do everything in her power to fight. So she’d dried her tears and came up with a plan to get in shape. The gym became her medicine and after working out for months on end, she entered as a contestant on the American Ninja Warrior, not once, but twice!

Allison is an incredible example of someone who refuses to let their circumstances dictate who they become. She recognized that she couldn’t control everything, but that she could control how she responded to the obstacles in her way. We could all stand to learn from her. It’s tempting to blame other people or circumstances when things go wrong for us, and to make one excuse after another. It’s not always easy to be in control of our mindset and the way we respond, but it’s incredibly freeing!

There are three specific steps we can take to gain ownership of any situation we find ourselves in. The first is to let go of the victim card. The second step is to stop waiting to be rescued. The third step is to take back control. Tune in to learn more about all of this, as well as what people feel gets in the way of achieving their dreams and goals (and why they aren’t good reasons), why it’s so important to be your own hero, and much more.

Highlights

[02:13] – Ruth introduces today’s topic, which comes up pretty often in her household (and which you might recognize from yours too).
[04:00] – We hear the story of Allison Toepperwein of Lit Within, and how she created an amazing life despite incredible obstacles.
[07:05] – Ruth explains why Allison embodies the message of today’s episode.
[09:31] – How do we change our mindset in a way that lets us take ownership of any situation we find ourselves in?
[12:04] – Ruth addresses the most common reasons that people have for not achieving their dreams or accomplishing their goals, and gives examples of people who have overcome their challenges.
[15:16] – The one thing that these inspiring people have in common is that they refused to let their circumstances dictate who they became.
[15:58] – Ruth explores the second step you can take to gain ownership of every situation you find yourself in.
[18:53] – The third step is to take back control, Ruth explains.
[21:44] – Psychologists refer to the concept that Ruth has been discussing as a shift in the locus of control.
[24:11] – Ruth shares a powerful quote from the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.
[25:22] – Ruth sums up why choosing to take full responsibility is one of the most powerful things you can do to change your life.