This post is about when I became an adult.
I don’t mean when I biologically or intellectually became an adult. I don’t mean when I socially or legally became an adult. I don’t mean when I graduated high school or when I had my first serious relationship. I don’t mean the first time I paid a bill or when I got my driver’s license. I don’t mean when I became a dad or earned my first salary paycheck.
None of that made me an adult - getting older is not the same as growing up.
I became an adult when I became willing to be 100% responsible for my life. 100% responsible for my actions, results, thoughts, feelings, impacts, and experience.
The day I became an adult was the day I realized that my experience of myself, others, and my life had nothing to do with my circumstances and everything to do with how I responded to my circumstances.
It was the day I realized that my circumstances don’t have power over me - my judgments, expectations, fears, stories, and insecurities had power over me, and I fed them with my ignorance, lack of awareness, and blame.
Every moment we have an opportunity to blame our circumstances and the people in our lives. But that’s not as free, fun, or fulfilling as being responsible.
Responsibility is often a heavy word. It usually carries weight and significance, obligation and morality, duty and commitment, seriousness and stress.
Responsibility: the ability to respond, without constraint, no matter the circumstances.
Response-ability isn’t heavy and significant - we bring heaviness and significance to it.
Response-ability isn’t an obligation or moral duty - we bring obligation and morality to it.
Response-ability isn’t serious or demanding - we bring seriousness to it.
Responsibility has nothing to do with obligation and everything to do with opportunity.
100% Responsibility is freeing - we're no longer dependent on the world around us to show up any certain way.
100% Responsibility is empowering - insight, well-being, and action have always come from within and always will come from within.
100% Responsibility is creative - when we take it on as our job to show up, to take empowered and inspired action, to foster positive feelings and a positive environment, we can begin anywhere and move in any direction.
The day I became an adult is the day I decided to take 100% responsibility for my life and my experience of it. I invite you to join me in this powerful, freeing, and creative realm of being.
For myself, I've found that I'm either being 100% responsible or I'm being adolescent.
Thanks so much for reading. ❤️