The word RESPONSIBILITY can be confusing. Most of us look at it as kind of a negative. We see it as something that we have to do, an obligation — heavy and serious. We NEED to be responsible, we HAVE to take care of things, people, tasks, etc. It feels like a weight on our backs and our minds.

I am going to give you another way to define responsibility: THE ABILITY TO RESPOND.

Whenever something happens to us, either expected or out of the blue, we always have the ability to respond. So don’t think of responsibility as taking on something, think of it as responding to something.

We always have choices and we can take a minute to look over our options and decide how to respond. That decision is not only the ACTION we take, but how we choose to FEEL about it.

When something does happen, accept that maybe there isn't anything you can do about it. If you CAN do something about it, the time to respond is right THEN! Figure out what you need to do about it, how you’re going to feel about it and move on. 

Karen Kindred Karen Kindred has over forty years of experience in individual and couples therapy. Karen is an interactive, solution-focused therapist. Her approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help clients effectively address personal life challenges. Karen recently retired and wants to share her therapeutic tools with as many people as possible. Karen holds a masters degree in social work and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Utah.