Live a Responsible Life

Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.

         Each of us has a value set upon which we model our lives. I refer to these as "responsibilities" as I feel it to be the most appropriate description. I have a three layered approach which I term circles of responsibility. Picture them as overlapping with the central portion as your core of being. The three are responsibility to self, others and nature. As they are overlapping, each affects the other and they all affect who you are.

Responsibility to self involves a number of aspects which include :

• Respect yourself remember that without self respect you can't respect anyone or anything.
• Take failure as a learning tool and try again.
• Maintain physical, spiritual and mental health.
• Never stop learning as to stop learning is to stop living.
• Love yourself and keep in mind if you can't, that you can't love others.
• Search for happiness in all things and when facing all things.
• Accept blame for we are none without fault and our actions are our own and not those of another.

Responsibility to others involves :

• Respect others.
• Love others.
• Accept others for what they are and be willing to help them to change only should they wish it.
• Help others to find happiness.
• Guide others with the example of your own life (remember that they are watching).
• Accept that others will fail and help them to try again or rise above it.
• Be willing to teach everything that you know.

Responsibility to nature includes :

• Remember that all life is sacred and protect it accordingly.
• If it needs to be cleaned, clean it.
• Rebuild where it has been torn down.
• Preserve and conserve instead of consume and destroy.
• Respect the world around you as you would respect other people and as you would respect yourself.
• Remember that universal love is the core to maintaining harmony in all things.

         By being responsible to self, others, and nature we will find our lives to be truly complete. To neglect any of these not only impacts the overall environment in which we live and the quality of your life it also affects your inner harmony and balance. Ultimately the decision is yours. I believe that the bottom line, regardless of which direction you take is that you are ultimately responsible for what happens to you and you should act accordingly.