How's Your Response-Ability ?
|
Many of you are feeling the weight of responsibility a lot more lately. Downsizing, lay-offs and investment and savings losses may be keeping you awake at night. You may be wondering how you can shoulder your responsibilities like paying bills, supporting your children, and keeping your home or job.
These are not easy times and apparently the picture is not going to improve very soon.
The problem is that almost everyone reading this has never known tough times. Anyone born after 1950 has had a pretty good life compared to previous generations of Americans.
And there is no comparison between our lives and those of millions of people around the world. We've all had basic shelter, clothing and food and the ability to take care of ourselves under control.
But recently, the control seems to be out of our hands. Other people, whom we don't know, are making decisions that erode our livelihoods and financial security. It has come time for us to learn Response-Ability.
Here are the elements of Response-Ability.
Focus on the immediate problem TODAY. No worrying about possible catastrophes
down the road allowed.
Ask the right questions. Not "what am I going to do?" but "how can I solve this
problem?"
Consider all the options. Brainstorm without judging - list all the possible solutions
you can think of - even the silly or far-out ones.
Ask for help - responsibility does not have to be shouldered alone.
Make a plan - list the practical steps that will lead to the solution.
Enlist friends and family in making the plan work.
Stop and check the results as you make progress. Make adjustments as needed.
Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed.
There are lots of ways to work to support ourselves and our families that don't include an employer and a 40-hour workweek. It's time to get creative and figure out how to work for ourselves to insure our future.
My web-site and blog have articles and resources that suggest lots of alternatives. I can recommend books, web-sites and mentors to cover a host of possibilities.
Don't spend your time worrying and fretting - be pro-active. Take control and start to move forward. We're all in this together and I believe that we will be better off for having to learn how to sort out what's truly important, and to find new ways to develop our Response-Ability muscles.
| 
Return to Archive
