You have to own your life. Own every decision you’ve made or are ever going to made. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin call this Extreme Ownership, but no matter what is is called or who does the calling, you have to own everything.
Life is not a rental property. Well, some people certainly treat themselves as such, but not without consequences but it doesn’t have to be like that. It is not easy. Owning your own shit, and taking on other peoples deficiencies at time is no small feat. It is very heavy lifting, but it comes down to weather we want to be happy, or weather we want to perpetually complain about being unhappy. With happiness and success, you have to pay the cost upfront. With unhappiness, like credit card debt, a little bit gets sucked out of you, one month at a time, year to year, until you can’t do it anymore and go bankrupt
Own your life. Don’t let the time you have left dissolve itself into bankruptcy.
You are a tremendous person, with a unique view of life. No one has had your experience either, and although it may or may not be desired, it is certainly needed. It’s not for everyone, but its for someone and that is what you should focus on.
Focus on what’s next. Focus on today. Focus on this very moment and don’t look too far into the distance. Own you mistakes. Own other peoples mistakes if it’s important enough to do so. You can’t spend your life blaming people for this or that, and expect the energy and purpose of your life to change.
Remember that failure is an event. We treat it like a person, ourselves, but failure is an event in time. Things went wrong. You played a part in it, but today presents a new set of circumstances and an infinite number of opportunities. So why not own today? Why not accept yesterday? Really accept it and really own it.
It’s not all the delicious carbs that are giving you wight issues. It’s not the job you have. After all, you applied for that job. You wanted that job, so what’s the sense of complaining about it. The job hasn’t changed, but you have. If you’ve changed, it is far easier for you to go and look for more fulfilling work, that to sit back and complain how the job you have is no longer providing what you need.
This can be applied to anything and everything in our life.
We have dreams and we take steps towards those dreams. Over time we get discouraged and either blame ourselves or blame others for our failures. But owning your life is not about blame, it’s about acceptance and than doing something meaning about it. It’s about the mission. It’s about the dream. It is not about the fragmented, unreliable, twisted way of getting there.
If you haven’t already done so, I strongly recommend that when you order your morning coffee or hot chocolate, you get a side of I will own my own shit. It is after all calorie free. Nutritious. Delicious. It’s exactly what you need.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Nathan Dumlau via unsplash.com