Spiritual Spring Cleaning

There are two camps of people in the world; the RESPONSIBLE and the IRRESPONSIBLE.

It is difficult to enter into and maintain any kind of healthy partnership – at work, socially or at home – if the partners live in opposing camps. This is because the partner who is naturally more accountable by nature will end up shouldering most of the burdens and being responsible for most decisions. They run the risk of becoming drained, resentful, ill, angry, depressed, anxious, out of kilter and frustrated.

Responsible people can be identified by these qualities:

• Well-developed conscience

• Honest with self as well as with others

• Take responsibility for the consequence of their actions

• Very rarely blame another before first looking to themselves

• Have courage – face challenge and act anyway

• Are humble – remain open to change, growth and new knowledge

• Are adaptable – use flexibility to achieve beneficial outcome

• Able to see the bigger picture – find lasting solutions to problems

• Never afraid to question – especially established belief

• Communicate clearly and appropriately

• Able to stand in another’s shoes – self-less

• Prefer to understand and act from a place of experience

• Understand the benefits of there being a deeper meaning to people/events/things

• Make conscious choice based in self-awareness

• Their self-awareness allows better connection and understanding of others

Irresponsible people are the opposite:

• Ignore their conscience – to the point at times of it being non-existent

• Dishonest with self- as they are with others

• Disregard the consequence of their actions

• Always blame others – will never take the blame – or will pretend to take responsibility

• Are cowards – run away from challenge and choose denial

• Are arrogant – remain ignorant by being closed to learning new things

• Find it easier to remain rigid, stubborn, proud and set in their ways

• Focus on quick fixes and instant gratification – are short sighted

• Find questioning a quality associated with weakness and too much effort

• Communication is unclear and often has hidden agenda

• Self-absorbed – lack of empathy

• Avoid learning through experience – requires too much effort – easier to pretend understanding

• Prefer operating on a superficial shallow level – easier

• Make choices based in habitual/comfortable behaviour – very unaware of self

• See no connection between self and another

People who tend to be more responsible need to identify those around them quickly to avoid being caught up in a partnership with someone who lives in the opposite camp. Many marriages for example, fall apart because one partner will always take the blame in testing times, and the other will always lay the blame. The partner laying the blame will never make change or allow solutions that make things work – because this would require a level of honesty, conscience, effort, selflessness, introspection, courage, humility and responsibility. The same applies to any business partnership or any friendship.

Look at yourself. Look around you. Make necessary change today!Responsibility Spring Cleaning – get ready!