You have the choice - responsibility or excuses.

We all have these really bad days or really bad weeks where everything goes pear shaped. Stress takes over and before you know it your mind is a bubbling inferno of anger, resentment and bitterness. Loved ones who come in contact with you are on edge because your body language tells them to beware. Not to mention all of the other big rocks that are important to you in your life get neglected if not forgotten completely. You are living in what I call a stress halo. Because you are the angel who is never wrong but is always stressed!!!

What is even worst, when these times are with us we look for excuses or someone to blame. It's human nature as we are never wrong. Someone else must have made the mistake that caused my dilemma. I am here to tell you everything that happens to you in life is a direct result of your actions. This may be hard to take but the more I grow and develop I am finding this to be a real truism. Don't judge me as Mr Perfect either because I am far from it. The difference is when things go wrong for me excuses aren't sought. Responsibility is taken as hard as it is sometimes.

Only this week my families life was thrown into turmoil and although not directly responsible My wife and I took responsibility and remedied the stressful circumstance. We didn't get to go grocery shopping, have a day off together as a family, work on my business enough, keep our cool with the kids and there was even the thought of missing out on a training session because of this turmoil. Luckily the exercise was done, the kids were fed and we are now making it up to them in the attention stakes and shopping will be done as soon as this is finished.

My point is we have choices in our lives and we can take responsibility for any negative outcomes that will come our way or we can make an excuse and justify to others why it wasn't our fault. To become a creature of choice and take the weight yourself you need to follow these simple but powerful guidelines.

1. Identify the stressful stimulant and take responsibility for it. What didn't I do that put me in this position. Even if it wasn't your fault you have been affected, do you want it to happen again?
2. Learn from the mistake or the occurrence and take steps to ensure it won't happen again. Remember the definition of a slow learner is someone who doesn't learn from their mistakes.
3. Choose to live your life this way from now on. Vow never to make another excuse again in your life and go the extra step and get a loved one or a significant other to hold you accountable. Whenever you make an excuse ask them to politely inform you. They will be helping you become aware of this stress building restrictive practice of making excuses and helping you improve your health and well being as you will be managing stress not stress managing you.

Now it's up to you; choose to change and take full responsibility for your life or make excuses why life is conspiring against you.