Are You Responsible?
What are your responsibilities?
Go ahead and take a second to list them out on a piece of paper or in your head. I’ll wait…
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I’ll bet some pretty good stuff is on that list - your family, your job, your home, your pets, your friends…
I have another question: Where are you on that list? Where are the things that make your soul sing and bring peace to your heart and mind? Are they on the list?
Most of us have internalized a pretty skewed idea of responsibility. It’s not that you shouldn’t be responsible for the things on your list - it’s that our lists tend to be incomplete and even backward.
I don’t know about you, but I have moments of being quite angry at the results of this skewed idea of responsibility. Sure, things get checked off the list, but I’m left feeling unfulfilled, exhausted, overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious even though I was responsible just like I was taught to be! Wasn’t this responsibility supposed to make me feel good and happy??!!
I know I am not alone here. It shows up in my clients who feel:
Like a failure for not being as productive as they think they should be
Frustrated that they have no time to do things that are important to them
Sadly resigned to unfulfilling, but steady work
Confused because they are doing all the things they should, but feel empty
Uninspired in what used to bring them joy and satisfaction
In other words, the creative well is sucked dry by an unbalanced idea of responsibility. There is no creative energy left for coming up with new ideas and imagining a different path, much less taking action to make those ideas a reality.
Maybe you have proven you are responsible to everyone else, but you have neglected yourself. You have neglected your soul. And the soul needs just as much of your attention as anything else. It is your soul that makes life feel alive, that connects, that plays, that imagines, that creates, that LIVES.
With that in mind, invite you to redefine responsibility. Go ahead and give it a try. I’ll share some things on my list to get you started:
I am responsible for listening to the tiny voice that tells me clues about my path.
I am responsible for honoring, developing, and sharing my gifts.
I am responsible for my triggers, contemplating them, healing them, and moving from my new truth.
I am responsible for learning from my mistakes and failures and for nurturing myself in the process.
I am responsible for being me first and foremost, authentically, soulfully, and unapologetically.
I am responsible for taking care of my energy by resting, sleeping, eating well, moving, replenishing, and putting up boundaries.
I am responsible for tending to my childlike spirit and trusting in her playful ways.
I am responsible for the reality that I create.
When I honor these kinds of responsibilities, when I put these FIRST, my well is full. I feel juicy and alive. And it gives me all kinds of creative energy to:
Problem solve
Cultivated deeper connections with loved ones
Experiment as I develop new business ventures
Be fully present in my collaborations with others
Serve in ways that feel good
Do what truly matters to me.
Hit reply and let me know one way you would redefine responsibility!
→ Creative Challenge: Follow this quick BURST to Doodle how you would feel if you lived from your new definition of responsibility. Hang it up on your wall or put it by your planner to help yourself make the shift.
It is common for those who identify as creative to feel inherently flawed as they find it more difficult to “be responsible” in the traditional ways. If you struggle with things like staying organized, getting things done on time, remembering to do things, being able to follow through, etc. I can support you with those executive function skills in a way that feels good to you. Learn more about my Creative Executive Function Coaching here.