Imagine a spectrum
of belief
about personal agency.
At one end is a feeling
of complete powerlessness.
This is the state
of hopelessness.
At the other end is the conviction
of total responsibility
for everything.
This is the state
of guilt
and self-hatred.
Reality is somewhere in the middle,
but closer to powerlessness.
The way I see it,
if you feel powerless,
you don’t have to move far
along the spectrum to get to a place
where you can make a real difference.
If you feel responsible for it all,
there is so much false responsibility you can
change your mind about,
that you can grow lighter for years.
‘don't you remember what i told you?
you get a tiny little seed and
you plant it in the garden
and it's so fragile
but if you get a ray of sunshine
and a tiny bit of rain comes
a lot of tender loving care and
it grows stronger’
Grow slowly
Jeff
Oooo this is now in my top fave Treeisms! Being a sturdy Capricorn, my downfall has always been taking on too much responsibility for, like, the entire world. And you’re right, SO MUCH GUILT. So much shame. I broke in 2020/1 though and I’ve been relishing in the middler part of the spectrum. This is such a great reminder to double down on the middle where I can sow my little baby seed.
I just love this post Jeff. False responsibility has been such a curse of religion...of vocation..and now (our new religion) in the workplace.