One of the phrases that is heard around frequently is “I don’t know”. Reference? Every time you ask someone, “ What do you think is the problem?” or “Where did you go wrong?” or “How can you fix the problem?”
Of course the ‘I don’t know’ is mostly preceded by “He/She/ They are responsible and should change to make my life better”
Sounds familiar? If you are sure you do not fall in this category then either you are lying big time to yourself or you have evolved. Which one is you?
Let me explain a little further. 35 years old Radha comes to me to share how she is unhappy because of certain behavior of her mother in law. When I ask her what has she done till now to ensure her own happiness she says, “What can I do? My mother in law is not reasonable and my husband does not want to speak with her on this topic.” I probe her further, “What do you really want in this situation?” and again the answer goes, “I want my mother in law to change.” “What if she doesn’t want to change? What do you want then?” “Then I don’t know, I guess my life will always be this messy” She replies in despair.
Manu is similar. According to him his boss is making his life miserable. What does he want? He wants his boss to change or to have a new boss! What if neither is to happen? “I don’t know, what can I do?”
Now you see? We are all looking for a happy, trouble free, great life but almost always we want someone else to take the responsibility. We can blame and complain as long as we can show the other person to be the culprit. But the moment the fingers are pointed to us, we turn our back and shrug our shoulders saying, “I don’t know, what can I do.”
Why do we do that? Now responsibility brings the need to take action, which puts me out of my comfort zone. It is a whole lot of hard work and going out of way to assume responsibility and to work towards changing my surroundings and myself. We want to avoid that as much as possible. As students we study only when the exams are very-very close. As grown ups, we pay our bills almost on the deadlines. You see the pattern? We do not want to take any action unless it is life or death situation.
However, if you are willing to take the responsibility and the first step even once you will realize there is not just happiness, but exhilaration in every small action taken on our will with the determination to get a better life for ourselves. And trust me, it is not that difficult. It is just a matter of accepting and taking the first step.
Do share your journey and challenges with me in the comment box below. If you wish to discuss something that is personal to you, let us know and we can connect.
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