Responsibility
“Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home... it’s your responsibility to love it or change it.”
Hello Friends,
At any age, we are expected to be responsible for something or someone in life. To be accountable for something or someone is to have it within your control and management. When given this opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization, it’s imperative to make the best decisions to help you reach success rather than failure. I want you to understand that looking past your failures and successes and avoiding responsibility can diminish your value and love for yourself. There are many components to creating success for yourself; over time, you will discover what tactics work best for you. If you haven’t found what can work for you, I will give you tips to start setting yourself up for success by creating the ability to act independently and make decisions without validation.
Take ownership
The best thing about taking ownership is that you are taking back your power and not giving it to another. Taking ownership is often difficult due to the inner or outer critic, especially when we have failed at what we were responsible for. Not taking ownership for wrongdoing speaks volumes to others about your character and how much they should trust you. Taking ownership of what you will and won't do or can and can't do will help you avoid a victim mindset and focus on your growth. In addition to taking ownership, let go of blame, complaints, and excuses for not taking responsibility. Suffering is a part of life, and misfortunes are bound to happen; however, blaming others or making complaints for life’s unexpected moments allows people to play up on the victim mindset and inhibits people from experiencing self-awareness of their actions. Not creating solutions will lead to feeling stuck. If we want to keep moving forward and not stay on pause, we must take responsibility and ownership of our words and actions because we are the only ones with power and control over ourselves.
Actions matching words
I say to my clients often, “If results are wanted, your actions must match your words.”. When you commit to others or yourself, they must see you follow through on those commitments, and if not, you will be seen as irresponsible. Actions matching words show that a person has credibility and can be trusted to follow through on what is being said. I also want to remind you that you control what comes out of your mouth; no one else has access to your brain. If you are not satisfied with your words and actions, then it is time to take ownership of them and change them. No longer use the justification that someone else was responsible for the words that came out of your mouth because your brain is the one indicating what will be said. Quit looking for opportunities to get out of your responsibilities. Take ownership of your words, actions, or lack thereof. Key behaviors that lead to actions matching words are speaking truthfully and letting go of procrastination habits. Speaking actual words allows you to take ownership of what you will and will not do. This action enables you to provide clarity to the other person, clears up any unspoken assumptions or expectations, and combats future negative consequences from fallen commitments. Procrastination can affect actions matching words by creating mistrust in a person’s words and actions and creating distrust within. Therefore it is essential to let go of procrastination habits inhibiting your level of responsibility. If you want more tips to combat procrastination, check out this blog link to combat procrastination https://beaminghearts.faith/beamingblog/2020/10/26/procrastination
The best way to avoid procrastination is to create intention in your life and to achieve this, you need to be conscious and mindful of your decisions.
Create intention with life
Responsibility is cultivated by conscious decision-making. Therefore, it is essential to create intention in life; you can do this by having an idea of what is needed to achieve success, which is a great way to keep your responsibilities within reach and control. Take responsibility for your time and attention, and start doing this by making better decisions for yourself, getting clarification, asking questions, and listening to your inner voice. Getting all the information you need and communicating what you can and cannot achieve will help create a mindset of taking ownership of your work and actions matching your words. You can also apply this when things start to go wrong or the way you didn’t plan, adjust by creating new solutions that will lead you to success. I intend in my life to have a planner to be conscious of my time and responsibilities. Personally, having a schedule represents order and organization, which leads to consistency and responsibility. When I get off schedule, it can throw me off physically with time and mental pressure; therefore, I am sure to be aware of my plan. Another way that I create intention in my life is by keeping the boundaries I have set intact. It is necessary to stay consistent boundaries with everyone, including yourself if you want to cultivate responsibility. Maintaining boundaries makes you feel secure and confident when making and communicating those decisions. This confidence happens because you have consciously developed calculated risks, focused on solutions, and taken deliberate action.
If you want others to take responsibility, you must be seen as taking responsibility. Responsible people do not leave stuff half done or play victims. Responsible people know what they need to do and how to do it by taking ownership and creating intention with life that ultimately leads to your actions matching your words. I have also included a worksheet for this blog to help cultivate your life's responsibility in the worksheets tab on the website to help you stay on track to being responsible.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and remember, you are a miracle!
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