Taking the Reins Your Life Your Responsibility

Hmm. It's something that's been discussed by philosophers, self help gurus, and probably even your grandmother for centuries. This time on Wife's Thoughts Studios. Hey, everyone, welcome back to White's Thoughts. I'm Terry Wise, and this is the podcast where we explore the ideas that shape our lives. And if you want to listen to more episodes of woice Thoughts, just go to Weiss's Thoughts dot com wyce t h o U g h t s dot com. There you can listen to each and every episode of this podcast, leave some feedback, and so much more. Even leave us a rating and review. Check me out on x at Terry Weiss and on YouTube at Weis's Thoughts. All right, I hope you're doing well. Let's get ready, let's sit around the virtual campfire, and let's talk about taking the reins your life, your responsibility. This time on Wis's Thoughts. Well, you know. Something I want to talk about, something fundamental and something that basically underpins every aspect of our success and wellbeing, and it's called personal responsibility. We're just going to dive right into the program today and there's gonna be no wordsmith word of the episode, so we'll do it next time on the program. But I really want to get into this topic because I think it's fundamentally a very important one, especially with things we've been seeing in the news over the past few years and especially the past few months, and there's been a lot of talk about personal responsibility. So that's what we're talking about in this episode of the Whitessotts Podcast, taking the reins Your life, your responsibility. So let's dive right in, shall we. Now, the concept of personal responsibility isn't new. It's been discussed, like I said, by philosophers, self help gurus, well probably your grandmother, and it's been being discussed for centuries. But it's a concept that I think we need to revisit constantly, especially in a world that often seems designed to absolve us of it. I mean, let's just to tell it like it is. I mean, there's so much of you know, was it me, I didn't do it, the stuff going around, or it wasn't my fault because of this, that and the other thing. So that's what we're going to talk about today on the program, and again, as we get underway here, if you have any comments, suggestions, or insight. Hit me up on x at Terry Weiss reference this episode again taking the reins your life, your responsibility, or you can do it on the website at Weiss thoughts dot com. Okay, so we're uh, we live in an age of victimhood where it's increasingly common to blame external factors for our problems. I mean, the economy, our upbringing, the government, even the weather can become a scapegoat for our own shortcomings. Now, I'm not saying that external factors don't play a role in our lives. All right, let's just be honest. Course they do. I mean God, But there's the thing. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. Okay, focusing solely on those external factors gives away our power. And you know, you say, oh, Terry, oh, pray tell what do you mean? I digress. It makes us passive recipients of our own lives rather than an active participant. Let me say that again. It makes us passive recipients of our own lives rather than active participants. And that's very fundamental. I want you to really internalize that. I mean, personal responsibility at its core is about recognizing that you you me you for your life. Me for mine, are the primary driver of our lives. We're the primary drivers of our lives. You're responsible for your choices, your actions, in ultimately your reactions. It's about owning your mistakes and learning from them and more importantly, moving forward with a renewed sense of agency. That's what it's about, my friends. It's very important. I mean, think about that. So, what does personal responsibility look like in practice? Well, it's a lot of things. Okay, it's a lot of things, at least, this is what I found. It's things like showing up on time, meeting deadlines, and honoring commitments. It's taking care of your physical and your mental health, not just your physical but also your mental health. It's managing your finances wisely, it's pursuing your goals with diligence and perseverance. But it's also about the less tangible stuff. It's about your attitude, your mindset, and your character. It's about how you respond to adversity and how you treat other people. It's very important. Excuse me. It's how you conduct yourself in the face attemptation and boys, isn't that a big one for a lot of us? How we conduct ourselves in the face attemptation, isn't it. It's about choosing integrity over expectancy, honesty over deception, and courage over comfort. One of the biggest obstacles to personal responsibility is the fear of failure. I mean, let's face it, that's one of the If you ask anyone and I would, I think this would hold true. I know I would. It's one of my biggest fears is the fear of failure. Failure in a relationship, failure at your job, fig just being a failure. No one wants to be labeled a bike fat failure. I mean, I know I don't, do you. I mean, let's let's honestly just think about that for a few moments. What if you ask somebody, what is your one of your number one fears? It's the fear of failure. We're so afraid of making mistakes or falling short that we avoid making risks altogether. A lot of times. I've done it throughout my life. I still have times where I do it. We stay in our comfort zones. Why can't I lose weight because I like being in my comfort zone? It's too hard? Why can't I get in better shape? Well, what if I do it and it doesn't matter. Why won't I, you know, tell my boss to go to hell and get another job because I'm miserable here and it's destroying my mental health and my social life and my quality of life. Because I'm afraid maybe I will find another job. Why am I afraid to start that new business? Well? What if it doesn't work out? What if I fail? I get it, I get it. I understand, believe me. I know. The fear of failure is a big thing. It is a big thing, and we've all been there. That's why a lot of people, you know, have anxiety attacks and panic attacks, have mental health issues and things of that nature. I get it, it can happen. But the key, my friends, the key, okay, is you know, facing those fears. It's the big key, and it's okay. But a lot of us, and myself have time at times. I still catching myself through this. We stay in our comfort zones, blaming our circumstances on, you know, the lack of our progress. But the truth is, failure is an inevitable part of life, my friends. It's how we learn, how we grow, and most importantly, failing is how we develop. Resilience. Another challenge is the allure of instant gratification, and boy don't we live in that world nowadays, my friends. We live in a world of immediate rewards, where we can get what we want with the click of a button. This can make it difficult to delay gratification to put in the hard work that is required to achieve long term goals. Personal responsibility requires us to prioritize long term wellbeing over short term pleasure, for us to make choices that align with our values and our aspirations, even when they're not the easiest choices. Now, I know this all sounds like a lot of work, and to be quite honest, it is. It's hard. This is some hard shit, I get it. But the rewards are personal responsibility are immeasurable. When you take ownership of your life, you gain a sense of control of empowerment that is incredibly liberating. You're no longer at the mercy of external forces. You're the captain of your own ship, charting your own course and navigating your own destiny. So let's think about this for a bitut a minute or two. How can we cultivate more personal responsibility in our lives? Here's a few thoughts that I have on this. Start small. You don't know if to overhaul your entire life overnight, and I think that's where a lot of us, and when I started thinking this many years ago, made the big mistake. You don't have to overhaul your whole life in an entire night. Start by taking responsibility for one or two specific areas where you know you can improve. If you're trying to lose weight, skip dessert three nights a week, cut down on your portions, cut out salty or sugary snacks during the week, and just treat yourself on the weekends. If you want to get back in shape, start by just going for a walk five minutes. Then after another week, get it up to ten minutes, and then the week after that put it up to fifteen or whatever. Just start small. Another thing you can do is set clear goals. When you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, it's easier to take ownership of the steps required to get you there. Practice self awareness. Pay attention to your thoughts and your feelings and your behaviors. When you find yourself slipping, let's say, into anger. If you find yourself being really overly emotional, and you say, you know what I want to get. I want to get a better handle on my temper and not become so discouraged and downtrodden. Pay attention to your thoughts and your feelings when you start thinking, oh, man, this person really pisses me off. And okay, acknowledge what you're feeling. I know, all right, I'm feeling pissed off right now. Why well, because of this, take a few deep breaths and just monitor your feelings for a minute, just one minute, and monitor your behaviors. I identify areas where you have to you know, have to make a change, and identify those areas where you tend to make excuses or blame others. And instead of saying, boy, this person that, what can I learn from this? What can I learn from this interaction, the situation, the way I'm feeling right now? What lesson is God or the universe or Allah or Buddha or whoever? What lesson is? But trying to be taught to me here? Embrace failure as a learning opportunity. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, view them as a valuable feedback session that can help you improve. I know it sucks to fail. Believe me, I failed many times in my life and I still do fail at things, but use it as feedback to learn. Another thing we can do is surround ourselves with responsible people. Oh boy, boy, boy boy, my friends. This is even in the Bible, It's in a lot of religious books. It's psychologists and psychiatrists will tell you the people you surround yourself with is you pick up some of their habits just by us mosis. So if you surround yourself with responsible people, the people you spend time with, they can have a significant impact on your own sense of responsibility. If you're hanging out with people that sit on the couch and eat cheetos all day, guess what you'll end up doing. You're gonna get lazy. But if you're with people that are responsible and well balanced and bring something to the table. Now, I'm not saying that they have to be exactly like you. Nobody likes hanging out with a mirror. You gotta have some different interests in things in that, but don't you don't want to hang around with a bunch of slobs birds of a feather, you know what they say, flock together, So choose your friends and the people you choose to spend time with. Wisely, thing we can do is be accountable. Share your goals with someone that you trust, ask them to hold you accountable. If you're trying to get and fit, trying to lose weight, trying to better yourself, trying to learn a skill, whatever, trying to get more self aware, manage emotions, meditate, whatever it is. Get put someone you trust, friend, lover, spouse, family member, non family member, coworker, whatever, someone though that you trust, and become accountable and ask them to hold you accountable in a loving way. But other thing you can do too, and probably one of the most important things on these thoughts that I'm having is celebrate your progress, acknowledge and reward yourself or the steps that you take towards greater personal responsibility. Now I'm not saying, say, oh, I didn't have that extra piece of cheesecake for the last month, I'm going to go buy a Cadillac and put yourself deep in debt now. But celebrate the winds, acknowledge, and reward yourself mentally, maybe physically, by I don't know, having a slice of cake or pie or whatever, go into a movie or buying yourself that book or that new garment you want or something you know. Don't go go crazy, but you got to celebrate your wins. That's what you definitely want to do. Personal responsibility it's not always easy. It's not going to be easy. It's a lifelong journey, my friends. It's not a destination. It's a lifelong journey. And there will be times when you stumble. I still do. We all do. We're human beings. But when you fall short, when you're tempted to give up, it's in those moments that your commitment to personal responsibility, you know, being personally responsible for your life, it's truly tested. It's in those moments that you have the opportunity to choose. Now, you can choose blame, or you can choose to take ownership. You can choose to give up, or you can choose to keep going. And ultimately, that's what personal responsibility is all about. It's about the power of choice, the power to choose your own path, to shape your own destiny, and to live a life of purpose and meaning. Hey, thanks for listening to the program today. I truly appreciate each and every one of you out there, and remember to see a change in the world. You have to be the change in the world you want to see. It all starts with you, the person looking back at you in the mirror every morning. Remember to be kind to yourself, be kind to others. If you want to tweet at me on Twitter, it's at Terry Weiss. Stop by the website Wis's thoughts dot com just to make sure you spell my name right, Wye Wiys's thoughts dot com, and hey, leave us a positive rating and review on your favorite podcast provider. Won't you tell your friends, tell your family, tell your pets about wife's thoughts. And I look forward to gathering yet again around the virtual campfire with you real soon. Take care. Alas Alas, alas