I finished reading The Art of Racing in The Rain by Garth Stein last week and I find myself referencing the book a lot in conversations. It’s a story about love, devotion, determination, and a bond between a man and a dog told from the unique perspective of the dog, Enzo. The race car driving techniques described in the book are lessons that can be applied in life.

The dog’s master, Denny, teaches him that the race car will go where your eyes go. This lesson actually reminded me of when my friend, Kate, was teaching me to snowboard. She told me my body would follow the direction of my gaze, essentially forcing the direction of the snowboard. She would say to me, “Look left! Ok now look right,” when she was trying to get me to go in a certain direction. I think this is also true in life. If you set your sights on something, you are already moving in that direction, towards that goal.

There’s another quote from the book that I love:

That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.

I think this is so so so so so true. I sometimes would feel helpless and held back by the cards that I’ve been dealt. Mostly I blame money issues for not being able to accomplish my goals. But when it comes down to it, these are just excuses. If I haven’t achieved something, I have no one to blame but myself. Taking this responsibility allows me to take control of my life and make proactive moves.