ONE QUESTION

Does my behavior align with the goals I have for my life?

ONE THING TO PONDER

Most people don’t question why people are in a bad mood, but are suspicious of people that are in a good mood.

ONE PERSPECTIVE

The freedom we get to experience is directly correlated to the responsibility we choose to take on. 

Society has made it deliciously easy to point fingers. Your boss, your parents, the economy, your ex, the government—pick your poison. And here's the kicker: you might actually be right about who is to blame.

But the truth? The direction you're pointing your finger is where all the power lies. 

Where you are in your life, the situations you find yourself in, the lack of resources you may have….all of that may not be your fault. 

But if you want to improve it, it is your RESPONSIBILITY. 

It’s easy to spend more time on blame than responsibility, it just doesn’t change anything. If anything, it just perpetuates the downward spiral of righteousness. 

My question is, do you want to be right or do you want to be effective in changing your path? Life oftentimes doesn’t give us both options. 

Freedom isn’t given, it's something we claim through radical responsibility. 

I often have to remind myself that by casting away responsibility, I’ll feel more comfortable in the moment but I haven’t solved the issue at hand.

We often wait for others to fix our challenges. I just don’t see the world that way. If we want to see things differently, the only option is that this is MY challenge to overcome. 

When I suggest that it’s on someone else to fix what I’m frustrated about, mad about, etc, I’ve also given away any influence of improving the situation myself.  

When we blame others, we get the momentary satisfaction of being right. 

We also get to stay exactly where we are, powerless and frustrated. 

When we take responsibility, we lose the comfort of victimhood but gain something infinitely more valuable: the power to change our circumstances.

We need to stop deflecting, and start taking ownership. 

Stop reading for a moment. Really. I want you to sit with this question:

What problems am I creating in my life that I'm acting like a victim to?

Feel that discomfort? Good. That's the sound of excuses dying and ownership being born.

That’ll sober someone up pretty quickly if they want to get to the root of their dissatisfaction. Only honestly will get you there though.

We don’t get a better life by complaining about all the reasons life is how it is. 

We get to a better life by changing the things that we have the power to change and accepting the things we don’t. That’s it. 

It’s simple, not easy. 

Onward and upward!

P.S. - This isn't about perfection. It's about ownership. The moment you stop waiting for rescue and start taking responsibility, you've already begun your revolution.

PODCAST

19 Raw Lessons To Not Mess Up Your Life with Mark Manson

Modern Wisdom

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