When responsibility weighs you down.

This week, I’m paying attention to my language.

If you are like me, when it comes to viewing relationships with responsibilities, you feel a great weight of responsibility.

In my head, I often hear something like this, "I’m responsible for my family, for my practice, for my profession, for the school I went to…etc., etc., etc.” This can sometimes feel like a HUGE weight!

Here is something I believe will help you tremendously: Change the “responsibility FOR” and exchange it with “responsibility TO”.

Think about it. 

“I’m responsible for raising my child”

Vs. 

“I’m responsible to my child for providing for them, teaching them, and caring for them”

"Responsible FOR" implies that the outcome is in your control. This can feel discouraging when you consider after all the work put in the outcome may be different than expected.

"Responsible TO" connotes that you fulfill your commitment to the process and relationship. From there, the outcome is out of your hands. This mindset will create less of a tendency to take things personally and renew your dedication and love toward your mission.

Hope that helps! As always, questions and comments are always appreciated. This is a big topic for me because I carry a lot of "responsibility weight" for my clients, my family, and the people who depend on me. I feel this mindset helps alleviate the emotional weight of responsibility and get me back to helping my clients with greater focus!