YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!

Has anyone ever said that to you? Typically, when we think of that phrase, we picture an angry adult, towering over the child whose ball just broke a vase. Or maybe we picture the angry teacher, scolding her rambunctious class.

Somewhere along the way, responsibility got a bad reputation.

Being responsible for something was a designation that none of us wanted, as it meant, (usually) that something was our fault!

I invite you to shift that perspective.

Responsibility is nothing more than our ability to respond! And who would ever want their ability to respond to something to be taken away from them? I know I wouldn’t. When my husband’s job took us overseas, I had a hard time adjusting at first. But I learned that while I was not responsible for the move, I was in fact responsible for how I handled it and, for that matter, how I handle EVERYTHING!

One thing I hear so many people say that drives me crazy is a phrase of the 5 most powerless words in the universe: I don’t have a choice.

Have you said that yourself?

I had to take that job. I didn’t have a choice.

I had to stay in my marriage. I didn’t have a choice.

The tough love truth is that we ALWAYS have a choice, we just don’t always like the uncertainty or the sacrifice that lies on the other side of MAKING a choice.

I could very easily have said that I had no choice but to move to another country, my husband’s job demanded it. But I did have a choice. I could have chosen to separate my family and stay behind. I didn’t of course, but I share that to illustrate that we always have a choice, and saying anything different than that is a surrender of our personal power.

That, in essence, is what it means to be responsible. When you choose to be responsible, you are stepping into and embracing your personal power.

You are saying YES to being in charge of your mood, your next steps and your present circumstances.

You are facing fear, courageous in the knowledge that yes, everything is your responsibility and that also means that you everything is in your hands. You get the power, you get the glory, you get the choice.

Imagine for a moment that that was all stripped away from you. That you suddenly were not allowed to make your own decisions, that your moods were dictated by someone else, that your every move was orchestrated by something outside of you, that you had no say in how to solve any problem, no opinion, no voice.

You see? You WANT to be responsible. Responsibility is a gift of power and choice.

Use it. Embrace it. Partner with it to create the reality of your dreams!