You have the tools

When my grandmother passed away, I moved into her house. My family didn’t want to sell it right away, so I moved in. I lived there for a few years, bought the house, then eventually sold the house.

In the house, I found all sorts of old tools and equipment. Shovels and racks for the yard. Screwdrivers and hammers in the basement. It was a fully equipped house, yet I didn’t know many of the items we found.

When we decided to sell the house, I started throwing away many items that I didn’t understand or had no use for. Some items brought back memories. Others were broken down tools that are easily replaced.

I ventured into the attic, knowing items had been stored up there for years, even decades. I found all sorts of vintage items like typewriters, antique irons, cameras and even a device to edit home videos.

All of these items were in my house. I owned them. I had full control over what happened to them. Yet I didn’t have a clue how to use any of them.

Years later I would be working on a new project around the house. I would come to a point of confusion and would search YouTube to find advice on fixing the problem. Often, I would find that I needed a special tool. As soon as I saw the tool, I knew that I had it and threw it away.

I had no idea what the item was. So, I discarded it.

Over time, I started to realize that we all get so focused on what we don’t have. We worry about the money we don’t have or the household items we wish we could afford.

We don’t appreciate what we have. We don’t understand the limitless opportunities. Instead we focus on the finite. We focus on what we miss, what we lose.

I experience a similar feeling when I talk to someone who holds extreme political views. They tend to bash the opposing party. They spend all their energy ripping down those who oppose them.

Instead of working from the inside out, they focus on everyone else first. Because that is limitless, they never run out of people to criticize.

They never realize that being happier and more successful has nothing to do with those other people. We have to realize that the world can improve, but we need to start inside us.

Each of us has the ability, control and responsibility to improve. We can focus on others all day but that is a fruitless endeavor. But helping ourself grow is impactful. That delivers results. That helps us live life to the fullest.

In The ONE Thing by Gary Keller, the author says, “Success is an inside job.”

He goes on to say, “Put yourself together, and your world falls into place. When you bring purpose to your life, know your priorities, and achieve high productivity on the priority that matters most every day, your life makes sense and the extraordinary becomes possible.”

In other words, we already have the necessary tools. I had all of these items that were foreign objects to me but useful if I understood them. We are all the same way. We all have the necessary tools to build the life we desire, the life we deserve.

To achieve that, we have to focus internally. We have to work on us. Not them. We have to put responsibility squarely on our shoulders, not blame someone else. Start with you and work from there. You will be amazed at the possibilities.