You May Need To State To Yourself First, "Look At Me. Look At Me. I'm the Captain Now."

There are many jokes and memes regarding those three sentences from the 2013 movie "Captain Philips". But perhaps some of us need to say these words to ourselves.

All too often, we make a lot of noise to prove a point to others. It is natural to be defensive or protective of ourselves. We also just simply feel that so many things are out of our control, we must be a bit loud about certain claims.

How much control do you really have? How much have you given away? How have you let accountability reside at the bottom of the list?

Many times, there is some defining moment that leads to change or an evolution within ourselves. There is no need to wait for tragedy or circumstances so overwhelming, you have no idea how you will ever recover. You can cease being just a passenger, at any time. How about now? That someday is today.

What have you longed to change? There will always be circumstances. Circumstances out of our control or occurs very unexpected. You are still the captain of your ship. It is up to you how you respond and what you do next. There will be many storms from the past, present and future but no one is steering but you. You decide on the direction, whether to move forward, turn around or to stop. You choose your crew. Are they working with you or against you? Who is your right hand, who do you depend on? Who do you allow to go along for the ride and add to the rough waters or ease the journey? You make the decision when you find a stow-away, whether they remain or get thrown off your ship.

You are the captain of your life. It is very easy to give in to this idea that you have no control and you must go where the waves take you. If you fall in, you fall in. If the ship turns the left or right, it is OK. But you are not helpless. You can get a hold of the ship's helm, at any time. It may not be easy move or quick journey, but you very much have a significant role in what happens next and beyond.

Start off small or with one aspect of your life. Get creative with saving money and improving spending habits. Start that project or business that you put aside. Invest in you and your education. If you are afraid of returning to school or concerned about funds, don't worry about earning a degree today. Everything takes time. Start with one class and know that is just fine. One class at a time. Make the effort to complete a few tasks to improve your health. Get moving a few minutes each day. Follow-up with your doctors. People put a lot of time and energy into finding the best barber, hair stylist or nail tech, put that same energy into finding the best counselor or therapist, if and when that is needed. Improve the relationship with yourself, so that your relationship with others is the best that it can be. Whatever you really wish to do, no matter how large or small, do not dwell on why you can't accomplish it; focus on what you need and can do, to get it done.

Those moments where you just drift through one body of water to another and barely make it through one storm to the next is over. There are no good reasons to not be the captain of your ship. You do not get several ships. You have one. You do not release responsibility due to fear, shame, blame, uncertainty, lack of knowledge, lack of confidence, lack of support, a victim complex, pain, any number of vices or complacency. This is your ship and your voyage. There is no valid reason to not tell yourself, "I'm the captain now"and move, accordingly.