Every person builds their world in their own image. We each have the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice. – Ayn Rand
To stop blaming others and take responsibility in our hands, is the most difficult yet worthy pursuit one can take. Yet and only a few are willing to take up the responsibility of the tasks at hand. That’s exactly why most people like to hold others responsible and blame them for their wrong doings: to escape taking responsibility themselves and to not have to make risk taking mistakes and possibly confronting failure. When we place the burden of responsibility on a “savior” – the concept that someone will come to relieve them of their suffering we are shrugging off our gifts and ability to shape our lives and understand our actions.
The price we have to pay for giving away these responsibilities is much more than realized. When we give our responsibility away, we also give away our freedom. Not being responsible for the life we’re living, we feel like victims of countless outside forces that are beyond our control. And the only way to regain our freedom is to become responsible. Once we do so, we’ll be more conscious of our actions and see ourselves as the creators of our destiny. Then, we’ll stop blaming others and focus on what truly counts: How to change.
Take care of you and your efforts. Your energy and attitude is the most important task on your to-do list and no one can cultivate, fix or energize this outside of you. So why not add your self-care to your list of responsibilities and take authority over it. This is not to say you can’t have external support or inspiration (you can and should), but remember the envy and effort required is squarely on you.
We can never escape the responsibilities of a meaningful and vibrant life, by turning over the tasks at hand to someone else and hoping they know us and actions better than we know ourselves.
Peace and Love, Jim
