Choose Your Role

There are choices of character that will define who you are while on the road to success. Will you listen to the voice inside, your gut feelings, when it comes time to choose between the easy way and the right way? Will you listen to the little voice that says embark on this new path today, or will you ignore it and make an excuse for why you should wait for “some other day”? Will you bounce back from failure and learn from your lessons, or will you quit? During this journey, will you be the driver or the passenger? These are choices we make everyday. So what is your role, your position? Will you be the leader or the follower? Will you drive, or will you go along for the ride?

People who decide to go along for the ride, or be the “passenger” in a vehicle are in the hands of the leader, the driver. You have to go where they decide. You have no control over the speed they set to get to the end point. You have no decisions to make with regards to the directions used to get there. Sure, it is tempting to be the passenger. You can sit back and relax, put on your iPod, play your games, talk on the phone, send text messages, fall asleep, and enjoy the ride. The journey is pleasurable, but you often do not pay attention to exactly where you are, who you are around, who is ahead or behind you, and whether or not you are even making progress.

People who decide to be the achievers, the “drivers” accept the responsibility of moving forward. You have to pay attention to the “traffic” or “people” around you. You have an end goal or destination that you are required to reach. You are in control of the pace or speed you wish to set to get to that end result. If you come to a fork in the road, you can determine which new path you will take. If you need a break, you make the decision on when to stop and for how long.

In a vehicle, the distance between where the driver sits and where the passenger sits is small, yet the differences between the two roles are enormous. Do you want to drive and lead, or do you want to ride and depend? If you desire success, then you must make responsibility your choice. Responsibility maximizes your ability and opens the door for new opportunities. When you lead, you drive, you take action – you make things happen, they don’t happen for you.

When you follow, or go along for the ride, and things do not go as you would like, the first thing you do is blame the driver, the leader. You act like a duck and quack quack quack at the driver. Look in the mirror and ask yourself who really is to blame. The answer is you, because you chose the role of the passenger. Put things in your own hands, take responsibility, maximize your contributions, and accept accountability – stop being the quacking duck who blames others for “leading you down the wrong path.” Instead, be the eagle who soars. When you lead and believe in yourself, you are free to focus on improving yourself, reaching your potential, and deciding where you want to go and what speed you want to set to get there.

Tommy Lasorda, a long time manager of the LA Dodgers, once said “There are three types of baseball players: 1) those who make it happen; 2) those who watch it happen; and 3) those who wonder what happens.” When you are the first type of player, you make it possible for yourself to be successful. You have the fuel to pursue your purpose. You have the power to grow your potential. You make the journey on which you are about to embark more enjoyable along the way. You are in control.

Anybody can be a passenger. Anybody can go along for the ride. Anybody can see problems coming and do nothing about them. Anybody can watch and wonder what just happened. Do not be just “anybody”. To be successful you need to understand that nothing positive happens if you are unwilling to step up to the plate, lead, and take responsibility for your actions. Identify your mission, your reason for being – knowing where you want to go is the first step in getting there. Identify your passions, your priorities. Keep your goal on target. Success is a journey. You do not suddenly become successful when you arrive at a particular place or end point. Success is the role you acknowledged, the actions you took, the decisions you made, the responsibility you accepted while traveling down the road to that particular place or end point. Wake up tomorrow, look in the mirror, and decide whether you will be the driver or the passenger. Once you decide, act. I will see you at the finish line.