Week 16 - Who Controls Your Destiny?

It's week 16 in the NFL. Crunch time. Various teams are not only playing to win a spot in the post-season, they are watching other games, figuring out which teams have to win or lose to help their chance of getting in. For example, check out this scenario (see if you can keep up!)

The Vikings fumbled seven times against the Atlanta Falcons, losing four. Those turnovers, along with a host of other mistakes, did them in and left Minnesota hoping for a Green Bay victory over Chicago Monday night. Should the Bears win that game, the Vikings would need either to beat the New York Giants in their regular-season finale or hope for a Bears loss the same day at Houston.

On a more personal note, I had the unfortunate experience of watching my Dallas Cowboys lose to the Baltimore Ravens last night, relinquishing control of their playoff destiny. Not only were they no longer in control of whether they would see post-season play, they had to depend on the Washington Redskins to win to help them out.

Now, for anyone who knows anything about sports rivalries, there is no love lost between the Cowboys and Redskins, and while I secretly hoped the Redskins would win, I couldn't root for them. But here we are, week 16, hoping the Eagles would lose to the Skins. We had put ourselves in a position where we were depending on someone else to deliver our victory.

What about you? Have you placed your destiny in the hands of someone else? If you're not sure, ask yourself a couple of questions. Do you say things like:

• If he or she was more supportive I could...
• If my boss would do more to help/encourage/train me I could...
• If I had more time I would...
• If that wouldn't have happened last year, five years ago, ten years ago, things would be different now.

If you're guilty of any of these, or something like it, it's time to take back control of your destiny. Who has control over your finances - your career - your relationships? If you think it's anyone but you, you've relinquished control!

Don't live your life sitting on the sidelines, watching as others control your destiny. Get in the game, call your own plays, and take responsibility for your success. After all, that's the only way to guarantee your victory.