100% Responsible (No More and No Less)

I’m reading a great book by Jim Dethmer called Conscious Leadership. One of the big take-home messages is the importance of being 100% responsible for your life. No more and no less.

If we are less than 100% responsible for our lives, we blame others for what happens to us. We feel as if life happens to us, and we are at the mercy of other people or outside circumstances. We have little or no power. The key change is to claim radical responsibility for our lives. If you are unhappy, what are you doing that keeps you stuck? What could you do differently in order to get the outcome you really want?

The other side of the coin is that sometimes we take on more than 100% responsibility. This happens when we take on the responsibility of others. This shows up in all kinds of forms. We might try to control other people, or save other people. We might try to be a martyr, neglecting our own needs because we are taking care of others too much. We might be co-dependent, or an enabler. The key change here is to be responsible for yourself, and let that be enough. As you become 100% responsible for yourself, can you also let others be 100% responsible for themselves?

Discussion: When you look at your life, are you 100% responsible? If you miss the boat sometimes (and we all do), do you tend to be less than 100% responsible, or more than 100% responsible? What is one step you could take today to move toward radical responsibility in your life?