2020 was the year that we all in some way lost control of our lives. Uncertainty existed at every turn and the phrase "It is as it is" was as commonplace as Carlton Draught in a country pub.

Well, we are beyond 2020 now and whilst many of us are still hurting from the experience, now is the time to take control of your life. This article simply shows you how you can do this successfully.

It was a couple of decades ago that my wife and I sat out on the back deck of our family home in Brisbane. We had the kids looked after that day and our job was to work out a way to get back to Melbourne. It was like a strategic planning session that businesses do but much more important to us. We really wanted to get back home before Christmas, six months away. Promises had been made to us and broken leaving us unhappy and in debt. Fortunately, I was good at teaching others how to achieve their goals, so I applied my skills to our situation aiming to take control of our life. Firstly, we defined the goal. Taking control for us meant being in Melbourne in a new home and sharing Christmas together with family and friends. We talked about this in detail, how specifically we would celebrate, who would be there and what the food would taste like.

What specifically do you want to have control over? Make a detailed picture, include all of your senses as you define your goal.

Knowing what specifically we wanted was helpful but only the start. Then we broke that vision down into smaller chunks. How do you eat an elephant? One chunk at a time. The chunks were defined and then we developed a plan. Good plans require daily actions to make them happen. Most of the actions involved me refining my C.V, applying for new jobs in Melbourne and hassling my employer to follow through on their promise to relocate me back to Melbourne. This last activity left me unpopular with the HR Department, but every time I called, I reminded myself how important it was for our family to be home.

Research was also done into the costs of returning and the options available.

After just three months I was offered a new job in Melbourne and my new employer would pay for our relocation. We did enjoy a fabulous Christmas that year back home.

Apart from creating a detailed goal, breaking that goal down and following through on actions every day, there is one final strategy, I would like to share with you in taking control of your life.

Energy flows where the attention goes. The more you focus on your goal, the more actions you take the more requests you make, the more conversations you have the more likely you are to achieve it. So, please declare what you want to control in your life and be obsessed about achieving it every day.

My book Five Gifts Flourishing is chock full of stories, ideas and activities designed to help you take control of your life as I did mine. I invite you to grab a copy.