‘Freedom is not something we have; there is no such thing as freedom.  Freedom is a quality of our personality: we are more or less free to resist pressure, more or less free to do what we want and to be ourselves.  Freedom is always a question of increasing the freedom one has, or decreasing it.’*

‘Will is the discipline of the heart and the soul.  The will is the one thing we control completely, always.’**

There’s something you must do.  Don’t sit back for someone else to do it, or for someone to give you permission.  Taking hold of this will lead to both your growth and fulfilment, and will bring goodness into the world.

You must take responsibility.

Responsibility does have a dark side.  Taking on too many things others ask of us – because we’re responsible people –  can lead to angst and guilt when we take too much on, and not leave any time to do what we should be doing.  (I’ve been there and done that.)

The responsibility I’m thinking about is the kind that takes firm hold of what it is we MUST do and does it.

And when good things happen, we don’t say, “It wasn’t really me … it was someone else … it was god.”

No, it was you.  Take full responsibility.

When you do, you’ll not only do some amazing things – all kinds of things – but you’ll also grow because of it.

(*From Erich Fromm’s The Art of Listening.)
(**From Ryan Holliday’s The Obstacle is the Way.)