Who’s responsible for our lives? We are of course. The ego is part of our mind whose job it is to protect us.  It was created to tell you to run if a tiger was chasing you.  But at some point, our ego took more control than it needed to, especially in this age where tigers aren’t attacking us.  Why is our egoic mind so fearful of our power, of giving us control?  If we step into our power and it releases control, then we are ultimately responsible for standing in that truth. 

One of my favorite quotes about fear comes from Marianne Williamson’s book, A Return to Love:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.  

Once we admit to ourselves that we are powerful and in control, then we are accountable and bound to that knowledge.  We can no longer hide behind rationalizations that we’re not good enough or that we don’t know what we want. We are phenomenal individuals, and we have to be responsible for this reality.  Wakening to your responsibility to yourself will bring forth changes in your life.  Reclaiming your responsibility for your life is the quickest way to change the world around you, and that’s why it’s so daunting. 

The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up. ~ John Maxwell

What does it mean to be Responsible?

Being responsible for your own life means two things:

1. We stop blaming others for what happens to us;

2. We accept the consequences of our actions. 

It’s a simple process, but our egos would rather blame others for the negativity in our lives. 

It doesn’t matter what your parents, or anyone else, ever did to you; you have the responsibility to work through the healing process.  Only you can do the necessary work to heal.  Keep in mind that even blaming oneself keeps us from facing the fear that we need to overcome.

So, despite what may have happened to you through the acts of others, where you are today is because of the consequences of your actions.  The only way to overcome is to realize that, by taking responsibility, you can now change your story.  You become empowered to alter the course you are on by changing how you respond to the situations you find yourself. 

The focus now needs to be on how to help you maintain the new mindset you have adopted. 

Learn to identify the ways you can be drawn to evade responsibility for your life by blaming others or outside circumstances.  Be watchful of not taking on responsibility for the thoughts and behaviors of others.  You’re responsible for you, and they’re responsible for themselves. 

Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It’s not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument, or your age that is to blame. You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make. Period. ~ Wayne Dyer

Owning your Life only comes thru Responsibility

Responsibility is about possession, and it’s about admitting when things work and when they don’t work.  It’s the acknowledgment that I am always responsible, even when I choose to watch television instead of working on my next blog post.

There are three reasons for taking responsibility for your life will transform it.

1. Taking responsibility is empowering.  By accepting that we are in charge of the choices we make, we admit our obligation to ourselves to be wise and caring with our decisions.  When we resolve that we are in charge, we have the power. We haven’t given it away to anyone or anything. Therefore there is no blame. By taking charge of your life, you can create all that you want.
2.  You owe no one.  When you retake your power, you reject that anyone else has power over you.  You are the reason for your successes as well as your missteps.  You are accountable for the direction your life is going, and it is based entirely on the choices you make.  No outside powers can derail you from your vision for your life.
3. You are free.  By taking full responsibility for the path your life is on and for your personal growth allows you to have the freedom we all seek. 

We all say we want to live our own lives, but to do so, we must take full responsibility for every aspect.  Those we like, those parts that are difficult, as well as the ones we aren’t even aware of yet.  We need to be responsible for our inner selves as well as the part that others see.

To end the misery that has afflicted the human condition for thousands of years, you have to start with yourself and take responsibility for your inner state at any given moment. That means now. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Be Responsible for Your Personal Growth

Living from a positive mindset means that you take responsibility for your evolution and personal development. There are eight areas of your life you have been empowered to change now that you are entirely accountable for all aspects of your life.   

1. Your thoughts. You alone can decide to change your negative thoughts to ones that better prompt your life’s desires.  Don’t let negativity linger.  You have the power to think a different thought.
2. The emotions you feel.  You are entitled to feel good.  So, if you don’t feel content, choose another feeling to feel.  You may not be able to go from despair to happy in one leap, but you certainly can go up a step to sadness and then maybe to feeling okay.  Small changes are all that is necessary to move you forward.
3. How do you view your life events?  Reframing your story is a simple empowerment tool for you to change your perceptions.  By re-examining your account, you may realize that you are stronger for the events that occurred. 
4. Your relationships. You can choose with whom you spend your time.  You can determine if you want to have a deep loving relationship with someone or if it is time to let them move on.  If they don’t want to have a relationship with you, let them go.
5. Your social role in society.  Those organizations you want to support and where you want to spend your time is entirely up to you.  You have great talents that humanity needs, so help others by sharing your gifts. 
6. How you speak to others.  Words are powerful, so be careful how you use them.  Be sure that you are building yourself and others up and not being negative.  Speak love and life into others as well as yourself. 
7. Your physical body.  Your body is a reflection of your emotional state of your soul.  Are you taking care of your body?  Feeding it nutritious food, moving it around, getting plenty of sleep?  You are the only person who is responsible for the health and well-being of your body.  Be sure that you are taking good care of it.

In all of these areas, your behavior touches the people around you. If you develop, so will they.  To live from a positive mindset means that growth is your top main concern. Instead of harming other’s self-worth, you are the one building it up. You examine your fundamental beliefs and modify them as new opportunities for growth reveal themselves. Because your progress comes from a Divine source, being responsible isn’t a burden as long as you continue on the path of growth.

Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There is no greater investment. ~ Stephen Covey

Responsibility is a Mark of Maturity

Being responsible is the hallmark of a mature, conscious person. But the ability to be flourishing in life also requires risk-taking, intuitive leaps, innovation, and thinking outside the box, and being responsible means showing initiative, taking thought-out risks, walking the talk, having integrity, and living up to your beliefs. As seen from the level of the soul, our chief responsibility is to lead ourselves on the path of higher consciousness.

There are six behaviors that responsible people display as they walk through life that inspire others.

1. Responsible people understand that their actions have consequences.  Reliable people realize that their decisions affect others, even the small ones, so they think things through.  By doing so, they can determine if their actions will have positive outcomes or negative repercussions.
2. Their actions are in line with their words.  They not only talk the talk, but they also walk the walk.  They are true to their word, and you trust that they will follow through. 
3. Responsibility means you don’t shrink when the going gets rough.  Responsible people step up to be sure that only they will bear any brunt of a difficult decision.  They don’t delegate these choices to others; instead, they do their best to protect those around them. 
4. They get their hands dirty.  Responsible people get in and do the work with everyone else.  They see that more is accomplished if everyone works together and brings their skill set to assist the group effort. 
5. Responsible people support others.  They do this because they aren’t competing with anyone.  Responsible people desire to have everyone move forward.
6. They treat everyone the same.  Because responsible people respect that everyone from the janitor to the CEO all have specialized skill sets, and we all need one another to succeed.

If you expect to be responsible for your life and inspire others, these behaviors should be exhibited.  The ultimate responsibility is the one you owe to yourself.

It is only when you take responsibility for your life that you discover how powerful you truly are. ~ Allanah Hunt

Being Responsible entails being Authentic

Responsibility, after a while, isn’t scary. You’ll find that your fears of accountability are just another tool of the ego to keep you small. It’s another program that thinks it’s protecting you from some pain, but it’s diminishing you. It’s irresponsible to deny your abilities and not do what you know you are called to do. It denies who you authentically are and, therefore, harmful to you. 

Denying your gifts, whatever they are, is like cutting off a limb. It’s painful, and it’s time to stop.  We are soulful beings having a human experience, and we need to step fully into our lives, the roles, actions, and emotions that it entails. 

We need to take off the masks and armor the ego had us put on.  It means we have to stop comparing ourselves with others as we are each unique individuals.  We have to release the fear so that we can genuinely connect with others.  We need to accept that we are all creative and allow our creativity to flow through us freely.  It’s reframing our stories so that the past no longer affects our present.  Finally, we need to accept that we are different from everyone else, and that’s okay because we all need to learn to deal with one another’s personality quirks.  Being responsible means accepting ourselves and being authentic. 

The first step toward change is acceptance. Once you accept yourself, you open the door to change.  ~ Will Garcia

Moving Forward

By fully excepting who we are and living authentic lives, we can move forward and live our dreams.  This decision is the only way we live a life that means something to us.  When our soul aligns with how we live, we are complete and content with our lives.

The power behind taking responsibility for your actions lies in putting an end to negative thought patterns. You no longer dwell on what went wrong or focus on whom you are going to blame. You don’t waste time building roadblocks to your success. Instead, you are set free and can now focus on succeeding. ~ Lori Myers

As you realize the empowerment of taking responsibility for your life and become conscious about your mindset, you can alter the course of your life.  If you would like to receive more enlightening articles right into your email, fill this out now.

Do you need help with taking back your power?  Do you need support in making better choices as you take responsibility for your responses?  If so, please contact me, and we can put together an action plan for you to be authentically you and for you to know that you are enough.

Taking personal accountability is a beautiful thing because it gives us complete control of our destinies. ~ Heather Schuck

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