LOOKING BACK OVER MY LIFE and career, I have to laugh when I remember that I almost declined the invitation to attend that seminar thirty years ago. The experience changed my life. Dr. Jeff Howard challenged all of us to accept full responsibility for our personal and professional development. It's easy to hear his charge of “full responsibility” and miss the significance of truly adopting the mindset it implies. I encourage you to fully embrace the idea that you can produce the outcomes that are important to you through an ongoing process of development.

Wherever you are now in your lifelong journey of development, think boldly about what the future could hold for you. What have you dreamed of? Tell yourself that you can—you will—make your vision a reality. Focus on your possibilities, not your limitations. Step out of your comfort zone and shape your circumstances. Don't let others dictate who you are or what you could become. Always think in terms of next steps. What can you do to move your situation forward? Managing a meaningful life and career is never easy, but you will have more energy and a greater sense of control when you actively choose how you will engage in the development important to reaching your goals. Choosing to manage your life by design gives you strength. It draws you forward.

Don't let yourself be sidelined by difficulties or temporary failures. Understand that no matter how determined you are or how much courage you bring, there will be setbacks. Learn from your mistakes. Use the feedback from your efforts to craft a better approach and keep moving toward your ultimate goal.

Surround yourself with people who will support your development. Build a community that understands what you're about and will create forward momentum for you to get where you want to go. Seek out those who will feed your confidence and your effective effort, especially during times when you are vulnerable to the impact of external challenges.

The Power of Choice principles gave me a way to take control and shape the life and career that was important to me. I hope these principles do for you what they did for me.