Like many people, I spent much of my youth running from responsibility. To my teenage eyes, the world of adult responsibility - 9 to 5 jobs, raising children, mortgage payments, saving for retirement - felt like trap designed to steal my creativity, my individuality, my freedom.
My youthful self believed: If the choice is between responsibility or freedom, I choose to be free.
As I’ve gotten older (and perhaps a little wiser), I’ve come to believe that this is a false choice. Responsibility and freedom are not opposed. In fact, the reality is:
Responsibility is the path to true freedom.
When we are young, it is easy to see responsibility as a set of rules imposed upon us by outside authority figures. And there are times when it is natural & just to question such authority figures when the responsibilities they demand of us are unhealthy, unfair, or tyrannical.
From the point of view of the Hero’s Journey, youthful questioning of the status quo & seeking for answers beyond the confines of the established order are essential parts of the heroic quest.
But once we have ventured forth and discovered the gold of our own truth, we must form a new relationship with responsibility.
Our sense of responsibility is no longer inflicted upon us by an outside tyrant, but instead grows out of an inner commitment to the truth and values we have discovered through our own experience.
We take on the responsibility of living our truth, following through on our vision, holding ourselves accountable to our dreams.
We no longer blame our parents or people from our past for our current troubles. Yes, we can acknowledge when & how we have been hurt by others, but we stop playing the role of the poor victim.
Instead, we decide to lift the burden of being the strongest, boldest, most heroic version of ourselves.
We burn off the dead wood of old fears, old doubts, old habits, old stories.
Our thoughts, words, and actions become aligned with the noblest possible vision for our lives.
We become willing to sacrifice for this vision, to make the hard decisions, to stand alone in our truth when those around us doubt or misunderstand our path.
And if we fail at our self-chosen responsibilities, if we fail to become who we truly could be, we have no one - absolutely no one - to blame but ourselves.
When we are willing to suffer the consequences of our responsibilities, then - and only then - are we able to reap the rewards.
All heroes must slay the dragon before the treasure is revealed. All of us, in our own way, must take up our swords, face down the dragons we fear, and become the King or Queen of our own sovereign lives.
It begins by choosing what you will be responsible for and holding true to that pledge as if your life depended on it.
Because it does.
If you are ready to take a greater sense of responsibility for your truth & your vision for your life, I’m ready to help. As a certified life coach, my passion is to empower clients to discover & boldly walk their unique life path.
Only by taking full responsibility for our dreams, our values, and our truth can we become the person we were meant to be. If you are ready to become that person, to become truly responsibility to your highest self, send me a message today.