Do you take responsibility for your actions, your decisions, your life? I see many people sleepwalking through their lives as they don't realise that they have alternative choices. They just believe that this is the life that has been set for them. If only they understood that when you take responsibility for switching things up, then the real magic can happen. Responsibility is often assumed to be arduous, task-related or dutiful and sometimes this is the case. However, taking responsibility can lead to so many exciting opportunities. Responsibility can be whatever you want it to be. Taking responsibility can actually be enlightening. When you take responsibility, you realise that everything's up to you. Not relying on anybody else, you have the options and the opportunities to do whatever you want. Responsibility is empowering. Why are you on this planet? What legacy will you leave behind? What is your WHY? Your purpose? By focusing on WHY and combining your passion with your purpose and a plan to achieve it, you take responsibility for everything you do in life. This not only enables you, it empowers you to design anything you desire. With a clear purpose, you can achieve a life of fulfilment, connection and a feeling that you belong. I've chosen a leadership role in life where I shine the light on purpose, fulfilment and curiosity to empower others to forge their own paths. My chosen mission and responsibility is to gift a living legacy of inspiration, insight and knowledge to create long-lasting, positive ripple effects. I do this through my coaching and podcasting. WHY is at the heart of every decision that my coaching clients make and on the podcast, guests open up their hearts to reveal their emotional journeys. They each dig deep into their purpose and break through mental and physical barriers to share extraordinary, poignant and sometimes harrowing stories. Some have witnessed disasters, reached tipping points, followed crazy opportunities or used their superpowers to pursue their WHY. Some started with a vision, maintained absolute focus, challenged their thinking or kept it simple. For others, they always remained curious, told the truth or put their war paint on. What they all have in common though is that they have assumed responsibility for their actions, their decisions, their life. An advocate of midlife beginnings, I believe it's never too late to be who you might have been. That you can make a difference and an impact no matter how small you deem it to be. First, believe in yourself before you can expect others to believe in you. “Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” Victor E. Frankl In episode 183, Realising Potential, Alex Williams referred to Victor E. Frankl and shared how you have been gifted with your own superpower: responsibility. When you take responsibility you choose the direction you take. Stephen R. Covey also reflected on Frankl’s fundamental principle around a stimulus and a response and focused on responsibility. “Look at the word responsibility-“response-ability”-the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.” What this means is that you a have choice; to choose to live life on your own terms. Taking control and living life with self-awareness and responsibility is something I am passionate about. I have a purpose and a plan. I embrace learning, hold positive beliefs and carve my own life in my own way. Victor E. Frankl believed that “freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.” In my blog, Focus on Freedom, I mentioned that freedom is almost associated closely with another word and today, I freedom is linked with responsibility. Ann Wilson, in episode 080 Time, Energy and Money, mentioned how when she achieved ultimate freedom that it came with a degree of responsibility. “I have ultimate freedom. This freedom of choice, this freedom of time, of liberation because I can choose what to do with my life force and that for me is then my big WHY. I realised, wow, there's actually a responsibility that comes with this and how few people ever get to this place.” What is your mission and responsibility in life? Focus on Responsibility!
ACTION POINT Think of a situation which involves you taking responsibility for something and answer the following four questions. What would happen if you did choose to take responsibility? What would happen if you didn't choose to take responsibility? What wouldn't happen if you did choose to take responsibility? What wouldn't happen if you didn't choose to take responsibility?
Amy BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS* Man's Search for Meaning - Victor E. Frankl - https://amzn.to/3fEZsgn The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey - https://amzn.to/3rE0bUm *As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.