One of the first things successful people realize is the old adage, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

For you, that means that your success, your course is up to you. This doesn’t mean that you do it all alone. It simply means that you take responsibility for your life and your career.

Too many people today look at opportunity and figure it is up to someone else to make sure they get it. They wait and wait, figuring that it is up to someone else. And then the wait is over, and it is too late to do anything. Their life is over and they are filled with regret.

But this isn’t true for you. You know that you must take responsibility for your life. It is up to you.

The fact is, nobody else is going to do it for you. You must do it yourself.

Now, some people might think, That’s a lot of responsibility. But here’s what I think: That is the best news you can ever hear. You get to choose your life. Hundreds of millions of people all around the world would give anything to live in the situation you do—to have the opportunity to take control of their destiny. “It is up to you” is a great blessing!

Here’s why:

1. You get to chart your own destiny.

Maybe you want to start a small business and stay there. That’s great because you can choose that. Maybe you want to create a small chain of stores. Maybe you want to have a net worth of $100 million. That’s OK, too. The point is that you get to choose. You can do whatever you like. Different people have different dreams and they should live them accordingly.

2. You reap what you sow.

Sleep in and go to work late and reap the return. Or get up early and outwork the others and earn a greater return. Place your capital at risk and earn a return. Place your capital at greater risk and perhaps reap a greater return. You decide what you will sow and thus what you will reap.

3. No one else can stop you from achieving your dream.

Yes, there will always be obstacles that come up and people who may not like what you are doing, but you can just move on and chart your own course. There is great freedom in that.

4. You experience the joy of self-determination.

There is no greater pride than knowing you set your mind on something and accomplished it. Those who live with a victim mentality never get to experience the joy of accomplishment because they are always waiting for someone else to come to the rescue. Those who take responsibility get to live the joy of seeing a job well done.

Let me ask you a question: Where will you be in five years? Ten years? Twenty-five years? Do you know? Do you have an idea? Have you ever dreamed about it or set a goal for it? Are you willing to take responsibility and recognize that it is up to you?

You will be wherever you decide to be at that point. You decide. It is up to you.

And that is very exciting!