Ever met one of those people who blame all of their misfortunes on others? Who are quick to point a finger toward their workload demands? Or difficult customers? Or a challenging economy?  Or perhaps a management team whose decisions have challenging consequences?

Maybe it’s fact that these individuals don’t have the tools they need to succeed.  “It’s not my fault,” they often say or “What do you expect since I don’t have what I need to be successful?”

To be fair, it’s easy to fall in to this trap.  In today’s business environment we are often asked to do the impossible if not the improbable. Whether it’s bigger workloads or increased production quotas, additional management responsibilities or a budget that feels unrealistic, or even the customer that demands you deliver more for less, there are plenty of reasons to contribute challenge to current circumstances.

And then there are those who view these challenges and obstacles as opportunities. They dig under the surface, find root causes, and then systematically address them. They double their efforts and sharpen their focus.  In other words, they own the situation – embrace it – and make it work for them.

Summing-up: Are you going to continue to make excuses for circumstances outside of your control?  Or are you going to own the situation and reshape those same circumstances so they contribute to your own success? Only you can make that shift!