5 Ways to Take Control of Your Life

Life is the only "thing" that us living beings truly have. Each have always had it and will continue to possess it until the day that we no longer do. Now that being said, your life is what you make it. Cliché to say, I know, but it's very true. Almost everyone finds it hard to get a firm grasp on the impending struggles that life seems to constantly throw at us each and every day. So much that it begins to feel like a never ending cycle that cannot be broken no matter what we do or how hard we try. We get so stuck looking at life and all of its ups and downs with one point of view or perspective, and because of that we aren't opening up all of the closed doors that await us. Frankly, because of our one perspective, we can't see those doors or even find the strength, courage or knowledge to know that they even exist.

With this article I hope to give you some insight on a few of the many different paths that you can take to break the "Never Ending Cycle" that we call life. Whether you can't seem to find an answer to the question you continue to ask, or whether you are just going with the flow and nothing ever seems to go the way you want it to. This one's for you.

#1 Religion

Religion is no stranger to this world and I'm pretty sure it's not a stranger to you either. You may not be the most religious person or even religious at all, but because you are here right now reading this I'm sure you aren't the most familiar with religion and what it has to offer.

There are so many benefits from dedicating yourself to a religion, as well as the amount of religions that exist. It can be very overwhelming at first glance and this is no religion speech, but instead think of this as another perspective that you can look at life from.

Here is a condensed list of the many 4,000+ religions of the world:

• Agnosticism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that 1. God, if it exists, it is by nature unknown and will always be unknown, or, 2. that the person being asked cannot conclude if god exists or not becuase of lack of evidence one way or another.
• Amish ~ Peaceful Christian fundamentalist group infamous for its prohibition of technology and strict adherence to OT/NT laws.
• Ancestor Worship ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that positive relations need to be held with tribal ancestor spirits. Most of the time a form of Shamanism.
• Animism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. The belief that every object contain spirits/souls. More of a traditional form of belief than a religion in the western era.
• Atheism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Either 1. the active and essential disbelief that God exists, or 2. an essential lack of belief due to the lack of knowledge about god or gods in areal culture.
• Buddism ~ A world religion. The belief that meditation and positive living can break the cycle of being reincarnated and result in becoming enlightened.
• Chinese Religion ~ A wide ranging cultural religion practiced traditionally on a town-by-town/region-by-region fundament.
• Christadelphian ~ Christianity that is Bible-based.
• Christianity ~ A world religion. Belief that one creator god had a son, Jesus Christ and was born to a human mother, and that Jesus' crucifixion by the Romans continues to bring salvation.
• Confucianism ~ A world religion. A collection of moral and ethical lessons.
• Deism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief in one creator god who is not personal and doesn't have human emotions, and which many say does not interact with the Earth.
• Dualism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that either 1. There is a good and evil god of equal, or closely-equal power, or 2. there are two gods, such which is a male and female.
• Gnosticism ~ The belief that we must escape from this world, which was created and is ruled by an inferior and unworthy god, and return with the true god.
• Hinduism ~ A world religion. Cultural religion of India which was throughout history decentralized and disparate with not a single belief system. Western influence made it into a single religion, an identity which Hindus now accept.
• Humanism ~ An organized form of atheism where moral and ethical goodness is emphasized.
• Islam ~ A world religion. Strict monotheism taught by Muhammad, the world's 2nd largest religion.
• Jainism ~ A world religion. Beliefs include non-violence and equality of all living things.
• Jehovah's Witness ~ A 140-year-old Christian fundamentalist/literalist organization famous for preaching that the world is about to end (nowadays - because of the existence of the United Nations).
• Judaism ~ A world religion. Organized Judaism emerged from Babylonian writings. Belief that God has a special contract with a Hebrew tribe, involving many specific rules of behavior.
• Mithraism ~ Roman mystery religion that believed that the Son of the Sun was a savior who was sacrificed for the good of all.
• Monotheism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief in a single creator god.
• Mysticism ~ The belief that God is unknowable but accessible, and that doctrinal religion hampers spiritual growth.
• Occultism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Normally existing within other belief systems, occult systems concentrate on esoteric meanings in texts, often with magical undertones.
• Paganism ~ Part of the neo-pagan range of religions.
• Pantheism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. God is everywhere, and everything, but is not transcendent and may have no distinct consciousness.
• Personal ~ The belief that you are your own god and you have the power control your own destiny. Normally exists in Atheism.
• Polytheism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief in multiple gods, often in some form of hierarchy.
• Rastafarian ~ God (called Jah) fathered a black Jesus; marijuana use in rituals.
• Ravidassia ~ Souls are part of the divine and proper living allows us to realize God.
• Satanism ~ An atheist religion that uses dark and evil symbology for self-development and anti-religious purposes - Satan itself is not a real being, just a symbol.
• Scientology ~ Derived from the writings of science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, a series of practices called Dianetics is used to clear minds of alien influences and attain a state of mental perfection.
• Shamanism ~ Belief that Shamans need to keep positive relations with tribal ancestor spirits for the well being of the whole tribe.
• Sikhism ~ A world religion that believes that by prayer, meditation and self-control, you can become a soldier of God.
• Spiritualism ~ The belief that the souls of the dead can communicate with the living, mostly through Mediums, but, suffered credibility problems with the original founders admitted to faking the way that they formed the communications.
• Theism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. The belief in a god or gods.
• Universalism ~ A form of belief, rather than a specific system. Belief that all people will go to heaven.
• Wicca ~ Neo-pagan organization formed around reconstruction of elements of folklore.
• Witchcraft ~ A description of multiple cultural practices, which are often apart of a parent belief system.
• Yezidism ~ An ancient religion. Malek Taus looks to the world with six other angels. Heavily persecuted by Muslims and accused of worshipping the devil.
• Zhu Shen Jiao ~ As this group become more excited about establishing a "Kingdom of God" with the approach to year 2000, leaders were arrested because of fears that it would turn into a suicide cult.
• Zoroastrianism ~ A world religion. An ancient dualistic religion from Iran which has one good god and one evil one.

There are many more religions than the ones listed above, but it's just a general look at the many possible options to take into consideration if you do decide to use a religion to help you take control of your life. Religions can give you a sense of purpose and belonging while you live your life here on Earth. It can change your life.

#2 Believe Everything Happens for a Reason

Usually, when something happens to someone whether it is positive or negative, it's interpreted as a coincidence. Coincidences are events that just happen sporadically without a purpose or connection. If you believe that your life has a purpose, then why would you not believe that the things that happen in your life do too.

Here is a meaningless example:

The earth rotates on its axis, which causes the seasons to change, which causes it to get cold in the winter, which causes the air to get cold, which causes the leaves on the trees to die, which causes them to fall to the ground, which causes the tree to have to regrow leaves in the spring.

It's all happening for a reason...

Over and over again...

Now here is an important example:

People come into your life for a reason. Rather because they need to change your life, or because you need to change theirs.

It's happening for a reason...

Over and over again...

Believing in this convincing phenomenon does have a very positive effect on your life if you choose to use it. It gives you closure on all of the "coincidental" events that happens to you. Everything that happens to you in your life is rather a blessing or a lesson. It will all make sense later. Just laugh at the confusion for now.

#3 Witchcraft / Wicca

Witchcraft and Wicca are two of the religions/practices that I mentioned from #1 but they are somewhat different from all of the other religions/practices listed. You can conjoin both together or choose either or, but they are both very hands on religions/practices and they can both be based off of your own beliefs. It is sort of like living in a world like Harry Potter, just without all of the crazy magical visual effects. In Witchcraft it is all about intention, manifestation, and energy. In Wicca you believe in and worship a God/Goddess. It's totally customizable though. I know you're probably thinking, "That's not real. It's all fake. Those people are crazy." Well then a lot of people must be crazy because there are thousands of people that do practice these religions and they honestly believe that it changed their life.

Here is the difference between the two:

• Wicca - The focus of Wicca is the Lord and Lady, The Wheel of the Year, and ones' spirituality. Also, Wicca is rooted to Paganism, which is where you pursue your own vision of the Divine (Higher Power) as a direct and personal experience.
• Witchcraft - The focus of Witchcraft, like I said before, is all about intention, manifestation, and energy. You can include spells (Magic/Majic) and or herbs in order to obtain an end result that you seek.

They both seem like a very fun and adventurous route to take. Especially the whole spells and herbs thing, it all seems very interesting to me. Going to a shop or going online and buying candles, herbs, wands and other fun items to bring home to practice your religion sounds very exciting. I'm sure it would make you feel differently about the world and would definitely give you a sense of belonging and control in your life.

#4 Dedicating Yourself to Your Job/Schooling

Jobs and school can end up feeling like a burden on your life if it's something that you dislike doing. Especially since you HAVE to go to work/school in order to survive, support or benefit yourself. That being said, if you don't like your job maybe you should look into finding one that you do like in order to want to get up and go to work every morning. For school, maybe you should figure out what it is that makes you dislike it and try to change that. Once you get to a place where you don't really mind going to work/school, that's when you take your "job" or "schooling" and turn it into a "career." Dedicate yourself to your job or schooling and go above and beyond in order to further your effort. You could ask for more hours at work or do everything your asked to do down to the "T" and then some. For school, you could find a fun way to learn the material and do your homework in order to pass all of your tests. Also, set a goal to get to both places on time everyday in order to do and try your absolute best. Doing that will make you look responsible and focused on life, which will unintentionally make you feel the same about yourself. Both of these options will benefit you tremendously and will help you focus on the more important things in life. They could also help you work out all of your problems and frustrations with something that seriously matters.

#5 Always Staying Positive

Being and staying positive is not only an option but a necessity for everyday life. If you're not already practicing this, then I suggest you hop on this bandwagon immediately. Out of all of the other possible ways to take control of your life, this one is the fastest and the most effective. Simply by thinking differently than everyone else, by thinking positive as much as you can, can create an amazing life for yourself. Your mind is an incredible thing and if you can use it to change your life by just simply thinking a certain way, then why would you not use it all the time?

Here are some examples:

Instead of thinking - "Uhhgg I will never remember all of this for a test."

Try thinking - "I can do this. If I just study a little longer and a little harder, I know I will pass this test."

Or

Instead of thinking - "How am I going to pay this bill? I don't even make that much."

Try thinking - "Ok... These bills are really expensive and I know I don't make enough, but maybe I can tell my boss about my situation and he could give me a raise or more hours."

Or

Instead of thinking - "Why does all of this bad stuff keep happening to me? It's never going to end."

Try thinking - "This is just a phase. The darkness will pass and better things are ahead of me."

By just thinking a little differently each and everyday you can make your life a whole lot better. It is so simple but so powerful.

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All of these things that I have listed for you, I have tried. They have changed my life and I hope you at least try one of these options if you are seeking more control in your life. You have the strength to get through anything. You are powerful. Just look within yourself and know everything will be alright.

Written By -

Mikayla Bailey