5 Ways to Start Taking Ownership Today

The ultimate open door

I am shifting from posting a new blog every Tuesday to releasing some kind of new content every Tuesday instead. Most of the time, this will be a new blog or podcast episode, but I'm also working on longer evergreen posts for my website. I want to try my hand at writing on LinkedIn because a few people have suggested it to me as well.

I released a new podcast on ownership, which you can listen to on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or any other podcast platform. You can also watch it on YouTube if you want to see my big dumb face.

Here is a quick follow up post that makes ownership actionable and immediate:

5 Ways to Start Taking Ownership Today

Here are 5 concrete ways you can start taking more ownership of your life.

Stop Complaining

For the next seven days, try to catch yourself every time you complain about something out of your control. Instead of criticizing or complaining, ask, “What can I do to improve this situation?” This turns frustration into action and ownership.

I did this a few years ago and it was life changing. One of the easiest ways to help adopt this behavior is to put a bracelet or one of those hair things on your wrist and move it to the other hand every time you catch yourself complaining or criticizing.

Set a 24-Hour Rule for Tasks You Keep Putting Off

“Action is the antidote to despair” is one of the most valuable quotes I ever read. I cannot exaggerate how much mileage I've gotten out of it. It is amazing how much of a difference taking care of something that has been lingering in our mind can make.

With this in mind, choose one task you’ve been avoiding—sending an email, making a call, organizing paperwork, cleaning up, whatever—and complete it in the next 24 hours.

Have One Honest Conversation You’ve Been Avoiding

Be honest with yourself and identify a relationship or situation where you’ve been holding back and take the step to address it. Whether it’s an apology, setting a boundary, or asking for help, take ownership of some aspect of a relationship in your life.

I don't know that this needs to be some huge decision unless you've already put a lot of thought into it. Decisions like breaking up or quitting your job need a little more care than telling your partner you need more help around the house or talking to a friend about how them cancelling at the last minute is difficult for you. Start small.

Start Your Morning Routine

How you start your day is everything. I know we hear this from a thousand influencers a day, but there is a deep truth to it. The number one thing young men have come back to me and said was the most valuable thing we put in place was a stable bedtime and a solid morning routine.

Take a few minutes to think about what a better morning routine would look like for you. For me, silence and reading for the first hour or so after I get up sets me up well for the rest of the day.

I also like to have an hour to knock out one of the most important tasks of the day before I start getting my family up and moving. I don't know what your ideal morning looks like, but I can guarantee you that flying out of bed, shoving some food down your throat, and rushing out the door is not the right way to start your day.

Commit to Something that Matters

Pick one small but meaningful action—like spending time with family, working on a skill, or reading for 15 minutes—that aligns with the kind of person you want to be. Start showing up for it every day, no matter what.

This may not sound like much, but every action we take that is in line with our values has a much larger impact than other actions. Years ago, I decided I wanted to be a smarter person, and the best way I could think of to do that was to start going to the library. This started a habit of reading that has redesigned my life from the foundation up over the last 23 or 24 years.

Get Moving!

You can do every one of these today, and if you approach them with care and intention you will never regret it. The biggest things we do start with a single action, don't wait to take it.

Let’s Talk

There's nothing I enjoy more than helping people find ways to take more control of their lives and approach everything they do with ownership and purpose. If you struggle with this in any area of your life, we should talk. I have free 15-minute discovery calls available for us to talk about what you want to work on and see if we're a good fit. I only want to work with people who are excited about what they are doing and who are a good fit for me and what I do, so you don't have to worry about any kind of pressure or hard sell - it's not my nature, and if I'm not the right person for you, I'll do my best to help you find whoever is.