Lots of people feel that they are chained to their responsibilities. They can’t do this because of work. They can’t do that because of their family. They can’t do the other because of their pets needs. They put so much of themselves into their responsibilities and then feel depleted and frustrated and bleak because they can’t do anything else. Then come the helpful friends/coworkers/family/self help books which say: “Chuck it! You can have the life you want. Just walk away and everything will be great!”
Which, for many, is throwing the baby out with the bath water. Responsibilities come through taking action, through getting connected, through engaging in life. If we’re doing it right then we’re connecting with things and people and professions that bring us joy. But too much of any good thing can have negative consequences. What may start out as a good thing can grow to be a monster. What starts out as a means for people to get the life that they want can eventually suck all the life out of life. Does that mean that a wrong choice was made? Not necessarily. It’s all about balance.
Just because you’re in a situation or your responsible for something or to/for someone doesn’t mean that you need to give 99% of all your energy to it. Just because you started something doesn’t mean you need to be the one that finishes it or that you need to sacrifice everything in order to get it accomplished. Rarely in life are things “all or nothing” propositions. Part of living is weighing the amount of responsibility we’re going to carry. Parents face this choice daily as their children grow. Each day is a study in how much responsibility to continue to carry and how much to relinquish for the child to grow and learn and become a responsible individual. Carry too much responsibility for your child for too long and they become dependent personalities and struggle through relationships and life. The same can be said with work situations and with interpersonal relationships. Take on too much responsibility and you wear yourself out and take away possibilities from the others involved.
Evaluate how much responsibility you’re shouldering in your life. It may feel like you have no options, but that’s almost never the case. There are plenty of options for your to live a good life doing the thing you love doing and living a healthy and balanced life.
