Take Control
Fractiousness, helplessness, incompetence, inefficiency, and other undesirable factors in a job are all traceable to the inability to start, change, and stop things.

No business can succeed unless it has been properly started unless it is progressing through time or changing position in space, and unless it is capable of stopping harmful practices and even competitors.

Thus the secret of doing a good job is the secret of control itself. One not only continues to create a job, day by day, week by week, month by month, he also continues the job by permitting it to progress, and he is also capable of stopping or ending any cycle of work and letting it remain finished.

To improve your control, you strengthen the part of control that is most difficult for you. To do this, start by identifying your weakest part. Which is most difficult for you: starting, changing, or stopping?

Signs You Have Difficulties Starting Things
You have many ideas that you never implement. You make notes and even write down plans, but you never start them.

You may even obtain the material you need to do a job but do not start it. For example, you buy the tools and materials to build a dog house, but never actually start to build the dog house.

You might have big goals, great plans, or incredible dreams, but you never take that first step.

Signs You Have Difficulties Changing Things
You may take the first step on a work project, but you never get much done.

You might leave things incomplete. For example, you paint a wall with the first coat but never get around to putting on the second coat.

You might follow the same routine you learned in school or have had for years, even though you know a better way exists.

You possibly make big resolutions every New Year and do well for a day or two. Yet you never really make the change.

Signs You Have Difficulties Stopping Things
You probably have bad habits that you cannot break. You might say, “I just can’t stop myself.”

You may hate to throw things away, even if they are useless. Your closets are stuffed with worthless junk.

If you force yourself to finish a project, you are likely to leave your tools lying around as you hate to clean up after yourself.

If you are a boss, you take too long to fire employees, even though they deserve it. Stopping people, who are damaging your operation, may be difficult for you. You may also have a hard time ending bad relationships or forgiving people.

When you give a job or object to someone, you have a hard time leaving him or her alone. You can’t stop possessing the responsibility of the object.

Signs You Are Fixated on Start, Change or Stop
Control is also difficult if you are fixated or obsessed with starting, changing, or stopping things.

For example, you are constantly starting new programs or projects. Every week or so you start a new project or two. Unfortunately, they do you no good as you or your group cannot complete all the things you start.

Or you are constantly changing things. You do not like the way things are. You are never satisfied. Unfortunately, you end up changing things that should be left alone.

Or maybe you like to stop things a little too much. Your first reaction to any change is to stop it or end it. If you are a boss, you fire people too quickly. You throw things away you later need. Or maybe you feel like a police officer and constantly try to stop bad things from happening. Unfortunately, you end up stopping good things, as well.

Recommendations

1. Determine your biggest problem: starting things, changing things or stopping things.
2. Write down how you can improve this weakness this week.
3. As you make these improvements, notice how your control improves.
4. Keep working on your weakest areas until you enjoy more success.

When you can easily and effectively start, change, and stop things when they need to be started, changed or stopped, you are in control