True happiness and fulfilment comes with self-determination. Are you making all of the decisions in your life, or do you go with the flow and take things as they come? Are you exactly where you want to be right now? Are you really living? Being in control of your own life is extremely important. When you are responsible for your direction, you create self-empowerment and self-belief. You put yourself in a position where you are capable of shaping your life in the direction you want. So – how does one do this?

Work, Work, Work

If you are a working woman, you need to be confident enough to negotiate in your career. It doesn’t matter what kind of job you have – being able to assert your needs should be an imperative. Some people put up with poor working conditions, low pay and other issues out of fear that they will lose their job. Whether this is the case or not, if you are unhappy at work, something needs to change. What you need to always remember is that you have value, and if you are working hard, consistently, and not being appreciated then you have the right to do something about it. Our careers are a huge part of our life, so getting to a place where you are comfortable, motivated and content is extremely important.

Emotional Determination

Don’t let others control your emotions – they are your emotions and only you have the power to control them. If someone says or does something to upset you, step back and realise that they don’t have that right. You are letting their words or actions upset you. It is a choice. Understand that you are responsible for your outlook on life and for your happiness. Look at who and what is in your life. This also is a choice. If there are people who bring you down, you have the choice to move on from these people. Surround yourself with whatever inspires you and brings you joy.

Purpose

Do you have direction in your life? Do you have goals? Are you driven towards achieving something? Do you work hard to meet your aims? Or do you let life carry you on its path? When you get into an everyday routine it can be easy to fall into a pattern where you live week by week. Incidents and experiences happen which you overcome, and the weeks continue to roll on. Sometimes you need to look at things from a bigger perspective. Where are you going? Are you as fulfilled as you could possibly be in this routine? Figure out what it is you want to do, and work towards that. Make things happen for you, don’t let them happen to you. When you begin to do this, you are on the road to self-determination.