Putting the "I" Back Into Responsibility: Harnessing the Power of This Talent
By Angela Davenport
All my life, others have trusted me to get things done. Dependable and loyal are words that others repeatedly have used to describe me.
I enjoy being known as a person who keeps her promises, who follows through on every commitment. I do not like to disappoint others. I always give my best. I take personal ownership for everything I do, and I value the trust this creates with others.
I love my Responsibility theme, yet over the past few years, this talent has created a great deal of inner turmoil for me.
As my career advanced and my responsibilities as a mother of three young children increased, I wanted to do it all — excel at work, volunteer for the class party at school, contribute to the bake sale, and be a great wife and dear friend. Unfortunately, I found myself sacrificing my well-being to fulfill commitments to others. Even though I have a deep commitment to my physical well-being, I saw myself slowly losing ground on reaching my goals. It was becoming more and more difficult to ?find time? for my workouts. They were inconsistent or nonexistent at times, and I started to feel out of balance.
Then one day it hit me: I never let my commitments to others slide, and I must do the same for myself so I can be the best mother, wife, employee and friend I can be. That realization shifted my entire perspective. I needed to put the ?I? back into Responsibility. So I told myself, ?Honor your physical well-being commitments and goals the way you honor your work commitments.?
The Responsibility theme is all about honoring external commitments, so making a promise — even one to myself — greatly increased the likelihood that I would deliver. So I began adding my workouts to my work calendar, and I honored those appointments with the same commitment level I placed on my work-related responsibilities. Once I began this new routine, rather than feeling out of balance, I found a beautiful rhythm in my life. My stress levels went down, the joy I felt in my life went up, and I surpassed well-being goals that I never imagined I would achieve.