We are heading into rocky territory here. One of the most challenging things for us at WORKABILITY to teach and impart is our notion, idea, and use of the word responsibility. To a lot of ears, responsibility sounds a lot like blame and more obligation. And no one wants more of those in their life.
We want to change the way you hear, and think about, the word responsibility. When we talk about responsibility, we are talking about increasing your experience of power and ability. I am already semi-regretting choosing this as the newsletter topic because it is such a BIG topic and needs way more time than this newsletter will allow.
But, here we are. And I am willing to continue on if you are. The reason I find it so challenging to explain responsibility, is that understanding our use of the word responsibility is experiential not analytical. Responsibility is a place to come from in your life. Experiencing responsibility (distinct from understanding that you are responsible) will completely change your life as you know it today. Without a doubt.
Do you remember a few weeks back when we wrote about what made WORKABILITY different from other folks in the consulting/coaching field? One of those big differences is how we address responsibility.
Let me give you a snapshot of my life before and after experiencing responsibility.
Before: Life happened to me. I had reason after reason why it (whatever I wanted) wasn’t happening or even possible. My reasons were all very rational and reasonable. I was either in a constant arm-wrestle with circumstances to try to bend them to my will or feeling sorry for myself (angry/sad) because I had no control over any of them.
After: External circumstances became opportunities, not limitations. I stopped fighting against all the things I “didn’t want.” You’ve probably heard that in martial arts practices you can use your opponent’s force and strength to your advantage. Well, this is the closest I can come to explaining the experience of responsibility. As external circumstances change rapidly and with seemingly little order, you can align yourself with that momentum and apply your intention to it. Not in a dominating sense, but in a creative sense. Like I said, this is challenging to explain. And even more challenging to get.
As I mentioned earlier, it can get very challenging to convey the experience of responsibility. But, It is worth the effort, even if I sometimes think I’m not saying it quite right -- it is that important. It is why we are so eager to introduce more and more people to the work we do at WORKABILITY.
I’m not going to say anymore now. It’s a big conversation and it is probably one better had in person (or via Zoom these days). I hope we’ve piqued your interest today. We’re going to keep coming back to this topic. We will keep slowly chipping away at explaining the experience of responsibility. Not the definition of responsibility. Not the understanding of responsibility. But the experience of responsibility. If you’re feeling a little confused, good. That’s a great place to start.
Do us a favor and respond, YES to this email if you want to hear more about this.
