As humans, we have control over many aspects of our lives. However, the most important one is our thoughts.

We are the masters of our minds and the directors of our imaginations. What we think, how we reason, and what we believe are all subject to our control.

Thus, we are responsible for our effectiveness and the direction of our experiences.

However, most people react to their environment unconsciously. They do not realize how they react because they are not aware of how they react.

They blame the world and other people for how they feel and what circumstance they find themselves in. This reactive state disempowers them and makes them hand over the responsibility of how they feel to others and external circumstances.

Living in a reactive, semi-conscious state results in statements such as “you made me angry,” “you always make me sad,” and “I’m never good enough for you.”

People also rely on others to make them feel good, happy, or safe. They become addicted to that person or circumstance and seek happiness or security in another’s company.

When their current partner no longer ‘gives them what they want,’ they start to look for it elsewhere in another person or activity.

This collective semi-consciousness is evident in the high rate of divorce in today’s society, which, in the Western world, is now at or over 50%.

Problems arise when we refuse to take responsibility for how we think, feel, and behave.

As adults, when we refuse to take responsibility for ourselves, we deny ourselves the right of self-determination.

We deny ourselves the right to determine how we live our lives, now and in the future.

The Power of Responsibility

Victor Frankl, holocaust survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, discovered through surviving two Nazi death camps that no matter what happens to you, no matter what fate befalls you, you always have the power to choose—you always have free will.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

He also opined that the USA was imbalanced because it had a Statue of Liberty on the east coast but no Statue of Responsibility on the west coast.

With freedom comes great responsibility, without which that freedom is abused and uncontrolled.

Responsible decision-making therefore requires conscious effort. It requires the deliberate awareness of who you are, what you want to be, and awareness of how you think, feel, and act.

If you intend to live the life you want, the way you want, how you want, then you must remain alert and fully aware of your thoughts, words, feelings, and behavior.

Empowering Yourself

It’s vital, then, that you remain alert and fully aware of your thoughts, your words, your feelings, and your behaviour.

For this is the only way you can be responsible for who you are and what you do, and not anyone else, because:

When you accept responsibility for yourself, you empower yourself.

Power is energy. When you are empowered, you are energized. When you are disempowered, you are de-energized.

Taking responsibility for who you are and what you do is like plugging yourself into the Great Power Source of the Universe—you feel recharged and revitalized.

Every day is new and fresh. You feel like you can take on the world and do anything.

This is possible, no matter where you are and what you’re doing. Your current circumstance, whether you feel good, bad, or indifferent, is not nearly as important as what happens inside your mind.

Success and effectiveness begin with controlling your thoughts and becoming a master of your internal world.

Master Your Internal World

So it is vital to take responsibility for your thoughts and actions.

Doing so empowers you and energizes you to take on the world and do anything.

When you blame others or external circumstances for your feelings and circumstances, you disempower yourself and become a victim. By becoming a master of your internal world and controlling your thoughts, you take back control of your life and become a victor.

Responsibility is the key to living the life you want, the way you want, and how you want.