Well, Happy New Year to you all! I wish you a most gratifying 2008 in all areas of your life
Now that a brand new year is well on its way, like everyone else I have been thinking what would be the best way to really make a conscious change in my life for this year. I realise that each one of us is at a different level of experiencing and development, but irrespective of this difference, we all yearn for the same things: love, happiness and inner peace.
Reflecting on this, made me perceive that achieving these things ought to be simple for each of us, yet it isn’t. The question which surfaced was: why not??
I believe that love happiness and peace elude most of us because we are often afraid to take responsibility for ourselves. It is always easier to expect others to do things for us or when things go wrong instead of looking within ourself and asking what we could have done better, we search outside for the culprit and point fingers.
“I would have liked to have studied, but my father thought I was better off learning a trade, or “My family did not support my idea, so I gave it up”. These are some of the things we say and try to hide behind them in order to shirk personal responsibility. If we want things to start looking up for us, we need to stop making excuses or living in the past. Now is a good place to start. It is never too late to make a change, all it requires is to take responsibility for your life and decide to take the first step, no matter where it takes you.
The great Winston Churchill once said “the price of greatness is responsibility“. We can begin to move in the direction of greatness when we stop complaining and focus on being happy.
I made this conscious shift recently by simply cleaning up after my husband has made some mess in the kitchen. In the past I would just have overlooked this thinking that since he made the mess, he should clean it up. I can tell you, this felt good and gave me a sense of peace , because I didn’t have to dwell on the unsightful scene.
Taking self responsibility infiltrates into various aspects of our lives. It is up to the individual to recognise where it is in their life that they are either afraid to take responsibility or are being stubborn.
If your intention is to be successful and be happy, 2008 could be the year to bring all that to you, once you begin to accept responsibility for yourself and your actions.
I wish you the clarity to always know when to step courageously forward!