Take responsibility!

As a grown up, you are in charge of your life and your destiny. No one else knows you as well as yourself. No one knows your wants and needs, your potentials, your dreams, your goals. No one else can achieve what you want for you. Also no one can force you to do something you don’t want to. Even living under extreme social pressure, in a society that is undergoing a revolution or war, you can still make your own choices, you still have a measure of control (and I speak from experience, having lived through revolution and war!). No matter what the outside world’s circumstances, in your day to day life you are in control, however small and limited. Use it! Even if only very few choices are available, make a decision, take control, do something! And then stand by your decision, accept responsibility, and see it through. What if it was a wrong decision, you may ask? Accept that you were wrong with grace, learn from it and move on. You are human and humans learn from mistakes. It’s our nature!

What would be wrong is being trapped into inactivity and inertia out of fear for mistakes, or worse the strain of effort necessary to achieve your goals. Make a conscious choice even if it is to do nothing. Taking that step and willingly consciously deciding something is empowering. It makes you feel in control. It reminds you that you are not a victim and that you have power over your life. It makes you happier.

Remember how hard you fought for the right to make decisions for yourself when you were growing up, specially as a teenager? Now you have that right, use it! You are in charge of your life, no one else. Don’t give that power to others, don’t lose the sight of your goals and most importantly, don’t be scared. Always keep in mind that if you don’t take responsibility for your life and your decisions, circumstances or someone else would take that right from you and you would be forced to follow a path you didn’t choose. What would be worse: following a path you chose however wrong or being forced to submit and follow a path you didn’t choose? 

I know I hate being forced to do something more than anything else, so for me the answer is clear. I take my chances. I decide to change, decide to take certain action or to give something up…. and when all is done and gone, I take responsibility for my choices and actions, I live with the result. Those came from my decisions after all!