I’m grateful that I’m responsible and accountable for how I RESPOND to others. It doesn’t benefit me in ANY way to blame someone else for how I respond to their actions. If I’m aligned with the energy of love, abundance, and peace when someone does something I like, they see my shine. Sometimes, they feel it. When someone does something that I don’t like when I’m in the energy of love, abundance, and peace, I can see clearly what the best way to respond in the moment is. It might be to walk away, let them know I have a different perspective on the situation, or stand up for myself or the cause I’m representing in a loving way. It also may mean I ask them more questions about their point of view. When I respond to them from a loving place, I don’t get defensive, because I know that won’t benefit either of us. When I get defensive, I know I’m aligning with fear, lack, and separation. The clear sign of that is when I get a hot and tingly feeling in my head. If I can keep my awareness, the best thing I can do for me in that moment is to walk away until I can gain control of my own energy. I guarantee you, if I’m responding from that place, it’s not pretty and I will often have to make an amends after the fact.

If I’m forgiving to someone with a hate-filled heart, I’m choosing not to carry their energy that stems from fear, lack, and separation. This doesn’t mean I support their behaviors. They are responsible and accountable for their actions towards others. Me forgiving them means that I refuse to take on their hate that they aimed at me or someone else. Revenge mentality only keeps me in the energy of fear, lack, and separation. If I’m in that energy, I tend to get snappy with anybody who crosses my path. I won’t even fully enjoy the good people are trying to do for me. In that space, I can even create negative stories of how the good thing a person is doing is tainted in some way. I don’t think I’m alone in being in this place from time to time.

When I take responsibility for how I respond to others, I stay conscious of my choices. I can ask myself questions about the perspectives I’m choosing to help me decide how I REALLY want to respond. I love that I have a choice in how I respond, and whatever decision I make, I’m responsible and accountable for it.

Today, I commit to be responsible and accountable for how I respond to others. If you have been following along the last couple days I’ve been taking you on a little journey. It’s one that is near and dear to my heart. The journey can change the way we look at the world. At least that is what doing all of this did for me. It takes daily work. I’m still a work in progress just like everyone else. I still have days where I don’t make the healthiest choices for me, which then affects the people who I come in contact with that day. The difference now, I know I’m responsible and accountable for those days. I’m also responsible and accountable for the day I make choices for my highest good, which then affects the people I come into contact with. I can’t make anybody respond to me in one way or another, but I CAN make choices in how I respond to them. I can make choices that will serve my highest good and the highest good for the moment I’m in. What they do with what I have to give, is on them.

When we can own what is ours, we don’t take things so personally. If I’m in the energy of love, abundance, and peace, I know that I’m operating in the best space I can in the situation. If I’m in the energy of fear, lack, and separation, I know that I will respond to others based on being in that energy. I might get more defensive, put up walls, yell, scream, insist on my own way, etc. I might convince myself that the other person is doing something wrong, respond like they are guilty, and treat them with no compassion, empathy or respect. Later, I may find out that I was completely wrong in the stories I was telling myself. I’m responsible and accountable for that, no matter what the circumstance is.

Practicing taking our power back by being responsible and accountable for how we respond to others is a very eye-opening exercise. Just like practicing being responsible and accountable for our energy (#175) and how we act towards others (#176), how we respond to others is just the next step. It’s about becoming aware of our choices. We choose to be in the energy of love, abundance, and peace or fear, lack, and separation when we are interacting with ourselves or others. The more conscious we become of our choices, the more power we have to change the trajectory of our lives.

With Love, Abundance, and Peace,

©Rachael Wolff 2021

Author of Letters from a Better Me: How Becoming an Empowered Woman Transforms the World