Written by: Diana Marquez, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
More frequently than not, we constantly wish for a better life without realizing that the power is within every one of us. Around 20 years ago, I came by the concept of 100% responsibility, and I always attached it to more proactive things like getting a new job or making "my dreams come true." And sure enough, that helped me achieve some of the things I wanted and my approach to a "successful" career.
As time passed, I knew something was missing. I was redefining every other aspect of my life, and it took a complete turn of events to take it to the next level and accept that I needed absolute ownership of everything that came my way, no matter how unfair that could be.
Almost magically, soon after realizing that, I came across a fantastic book: The Power to Change everything, and even if I recommend you take note and buy it as soon as you can, that is only part of what this story is about.
The power to change everything sounds like magic, but it actually isn't, but it really is.
I heard about quantum physics somewhere in 2005 when I heard Dr. Deepak Chopra talk about abundance in everything and then saw the documentary What the Bleep Do We Know? This entire scientific concept of how our physical world is only 1% of the world and the rest is 99%, so energy, so for me, someone that could never really understand what that means, but I do know enough to know that I really know nothing.
I knew right away that the closest I could explain was that it was like magic, and I could make my life whatever I wanted it to be.
When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
At first, I thought that was a bit unfair; why in the world would I be responsible if someone cut me off on the highway leading to a crash, or if my partner gets mad at me for something that has to do with their insecurities and not what I do. Unconsciously I was only making excuses because it seems easier to be able to just be responsible for my actions vs. the entire world. After many fights with everyone, most frequently myself, I finally gave in and decided to change my perspective, and just like magic, everything changed.
It was more liberating to have full responsibility instead of hoping the 15 million drivers in Mexico City would have all the necessary variables to change their driving habits overnight. In other words, I was relinquishing my power, willingly, to every other person that crossed my path.
Extreme ownership. We don't come to this world; we become.
The sooner you accept that this is true, the more joy and blessings you'll have in your life. That is NOT an easy task, and we will fight with all we know to justify not taking complete responsibility. The more committed to finding my purpose in life, the more I realize I want to help you do just that.
A hack, if you will, to make a smoother and faster transition. And as a first step, I want to share the essential 3 big rocks you need to continuously assess and address.
1. Our ego. This goes beyond the typical definition of our pride. This is more about our opponent, every reaction we have that prevents us from bringing light into our lives. Ego typically is found in:
a. Comfort zone. As humans, it's hard for us to use energy more than needed. We must fight and grow out of our comfort zone and constantly challenge it.
b. Judgment leads to reaction vs. proactive behavior. Most of the time, this also indicates that we judge ourselves vs. choosing kindness.
c. Self-esteem issues. This has been a never-ending journey, but do you know we can't give what we don't have? We can't love others if we don't love "us" first.
2. Our mindset. We can't change what happens, but we can change how we react. We also know that what we focus on expands. This is why this is so important. Our mindset defines everything; do we think we can continuously grow? Do we believe there's more than enough for all of us? Our mindset is a muscle that we need to exercise.
3. Our habits. Sometimes we need to hack our minds. We might not always be motivated to make healthy choices; this is when our habits kick in. According to several studies, we spend half of our day on autopilot; if that automatic journey we are taking is not beneficial for us, then it is costing us way more than we know. We need to change the triggers and reactions to improve our lives.
As Lao Tzu said:
"Watch your thoughts; they become your words; watch your words; they become your actions; watch your actions; they become your habits; watch your habits; they become your character; watch your character; it becomes your destiny."
I've created this: "break the status quo" tool so you can embark on your journey to extreme ownership; I hope you find it helpful, and I hope to continue to see you here.
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Diana Marquez, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Diana Marquez is here to lead a counseling-oriented role promoting creativity and nonlinear thinking. She has a dedicated her life to challenging her perspective, and growing her mindset has become her life purpose of helping others in their journey in order to tap into their own personal power. She is passionate about organizational culture and human behavior and how to drive and accelerate business growth.
