We’re challenged daily with our extremely busy and sometimes chaotic lifestyles – and it’s easy to lose our individual centers, to become un-balanced, and to get distracted and distanced from our Truths and true Selves. While it’s really easy to point a finger at everyone else (like your boss, your employees, your pets, your friends, your partners, your parents, etc.) for what’s coming unravelled or anxiously festering inside of you, the truth is that it’s always 100% your responsibility for what happens to you in your world.

The fact of the matter is – when you are not taking 100% responsibility for your own life, your mind is going to look for every opportunity and for every scapegoat to blame, complain, and judge (which is no good for you, for those in your life, or the world outside your immediate sphere of influence). When you can take 100% responsibility (meaning being accountable for 100% of your actions and their consequences – similar to the ripple effect created by of a drop of water into a lake…) for what’s unfolding in your world, you have the opportunity to make conscious choices. More so, by actively doing so, you can instigate and create real positive changes for yourself and for those around you.

So…

• Instead of always saying ‘yes’ to everyone else’s needs and requests, you can choose to take responsibility for yourself and what you need first.
• When you are getting distracted by Facebook, emails, cell phones, and other technological procrastination tools (we all do it  - but is it really necessary?), you can choose to disengage and re-focus your energy and attention on what’s most important, where it’s most important.
• When you are doing something that you don’t whole-heartedly love, you can choose to drop it and go in a new direction; mistakes are how we learn and evolve – don’t feel guilty for taking detours from your path – everything happens for a reason!
• When you commit to being in the drivers seat of your own life, you now have the power to go wherever you want, whenever – and however (it’s really that easy – and that’s really when the adventure starts!)

These are the 4 pillars of a harmonized daily routine, and they will help you get focused, energized, clear, and totally on-track – whatever obstacles you encounter, or successes that you dare to accomplish!

The proposal: For the next 7 days, see if you can take 100% responsibility for creating a true-to-you personal success routine that includes closing your eyes and being still for a few minutes (meditation), moving your body (like working out, yoga, or even dancing), doing something that inspires you (like being outdoors, reading, or painting) – and of course, eating one really healthy, nutritious, and wholesome meal. I’m not going to suggest the frequency of this new routine out of the gate – rather that you try to remain conscious and pay real attention as to doing it at all.

(The above post is an excerpt I’ve cut, pasted, and liberally edited of the original article entitled “7 Days of 100% Responsibility” written by Max Simon, one of Deepak Chopra’s lead instructors. Highly informative and effective, Max presents and discusses 5 key methods we can each practice to ensure our success – both on a personal scale as well as for the benefit of our larger communit(ies). I’m choosing to pay forward this post, and propose his challenge to all of you to help you each effectively kick off your new year (no matter your resolutions, goals, or dreams for 2010) in the most positive and personally successful methods possible! This is for YOU, about you; good luck!)