Do You Own Your Life?

"What we say and what we do ultimately comes back to us so let us own our responsibility, place it in our hands, and carry it with dignity and strength."  Gloria Anzaldua


I discovered this quote as I researched a workshop I'm facilitating tomorrow on personal greatness. This quote sums up the pivotal point of achievement and personal greatness. We have to own it. In all of the study we've done over the past decade we can't move past this moment as the key to utilizing all of the resources and capabilities each person has. Living in a place where you believe you determine how you act, what gifts you bring to each moment and how you act moment to moment transforms you. It is the ultimate individuality, the ultimate courage and the ultimate risk, because standing alone in who you are and what you choose to do, you accept the reality that there is no one else to blame, no one else to pass the buck. You stand and are counted as an individual with all of the responsibilities, all the blame and all of the praise.

Of course we work with others and many times achievements are joint projects, yet the group cannot achieve if each member does not bring the best gifts and talents they have each and every day. Where there is synergy, you can feel the energy pulsing between members of a high achieving group. But you cannot control, demand or blame others for not bringing their best. You can only control yourself. That is one of the first principles of ownership.

The other factor about ownership is that you are always, everywhere totally free to choose how you will act and think. Though there may be forces which compel you to act certain ways, you are still free to decide how you will act and think. Sometimes your actions will be in accord with society, your peers and friends and common consensus. However there are times when you are compelled to think differently, act independently, and stand your ground  realizing you have to accept the responsibility of your actions.

Of course then, there is no blame. Individuals who succeed rarely spend time and energy pointing to others as to why they cannot succeed. They don't blame their parents, siblings, social status, country, education, or bosses as barriers to what they hope to achieve. They identify what they can control and work within that limitation to the best of their ability. That's how they lift themselves above their situations and succeed.

There is no greater feeling than to accept that you are totally in charge of your life. It is also a frightening feeling, because there is no one else to point to for failure. But taking the reins of your life and steering where you want to go, becoming the person you want to become and moving toward your destiny is a heady experience. It is ownership at it's best. Own your life and carry it with dignity.