We all seem to want a fair amount of freedom and independence in the manner we live our lives at home, work, and in the community. Freedom and independence provide us a great deal of space to create, search for more effective ways, and enable us to stay one step ahead of the problems that can develop from getting stuck in a routine rut around the important things in life.

As we all look to be more effective in the roles we play, it is critical that we acknowledge the other side of freedom and independence, and that is responsibility. When we have one without the other, the environment we operate in starts to breakdown. Well-trained psychologists and kitchen table counselors would all come to the same conclusion that refusing to take responsibility and blaming others when things go awry with the choices we make within our freedom and independence is not a healthy pathway over the long term. When we consistently apply blame to others, it can become a real hinderance to our personal development and some observers would identify it as a borderline personality disorder.

Here a few thoughts as we look to set a strong example around freedom and responsibility to ensure we are our best for those we care about most at home, work, and in the community:

1. Freedom and independence create the foundation for great progress in any endeavor. When we have too restrictive guardrails, we eventually create a rut that will become simply a coffin with the ends kicked out of it.
2. We must embrace the universal and timeliness truth that we are responsible for the choices we make with our freedom and independence. We can’t have one without the other for the long term…maybe in the short term, but not over the long term.
3. Over time, as we become more effective in shouldering the burden of responsibility with our freedom and independence, we take an important step to ensure our freedom and independence remain for the future.  If we consistently play the blame game in follow-up to our choices, then those close to us at home, work and in the community have a tendency to clamp down on freedoms and independence as we set an example that we can’t handle them and need to be somewhat controlled with a few extra guardrails.

As we continue down the long road to build and strengthen our character, we need to support freedom and independence while we also remain firm in our responsibility to own the outcome.  Refusing to play the blame game and simply owning the outcome of our choices are admirable and rare qualities that will result in setting a strong example for others to follow that Character Creates Opportunity to reach our full potential and make a positive impact on those around us.

How can I help you today? My mobile is 269-370-9275 and my email is david@harvesttimepartners.com  

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