Own It

There is absolutely nothing that you have to do today. Nothing.

With each generation we are approaching maturity, in terms of adulthood and responsibility, much later.  Whatever the reasons for this may be are, it really does not matter. The fact is that as cohort of college-age-somethings (and I would argue this applies across ages) our words and actions do not convey responsibility and commitment.

Consider this: We preach "live in the moment" and YOLO as if it's something worthy of attaining.

...And yet in the moment with friends we are found texting someone else

 We are pursuing degrees to advance world peace and we stay up all night to finish the assignment only to lay down for a nap and sleep through the class for which it was due.

Or in the case of myself this morning, we sleep through three alarms and miss work. 

What exactly does this say?

To the friend you are with?

To the professor who's time you are disrespecting?

To the kids who depend on me?

It sounds and looks a lot like a bunch of excuses. Are our peers, elders, and youngers not worth the respect that we want for ourselves?

There is more to living in the moment than marching to the banner that you only live once. Posting a status, selfies, or even groupies during a get together is not living in the moment. Texting your mom, however wholesome it may be, during class is not living in the moment. Your friend, your professors, and your family deserve your presence in the moment. Is that not what we desire for others to give to us? Anything that you may think or wish to respond with a "well, but" is an excuse.

Think about that for a moment.

I was presented with a challenge today: to go the rest of the week without making an excuse. We will see it if is possible. Consider what that might look like. Own the mistake. Own the failure. Own the present moment and live it. Own it.

When you are late for work, own it.
When talking with a friend, own it.
When juggling 18 hours, work, boring classes, and family stress, own it. Don't make an excuse.
Instead of "that offended me", consider "I choose to be offended by that".
Instead of "I'm so frustrated/irritated/fed-up/lonely/busy/stressed/etc", consider "I choose to be frustrated/irritated/fed-up/lonely/busy/stressed".

What I heard this morning hit home for more reasons that just the fact I tend to be a cognitive-behaviorist and coincidentally was tempted to make an excuse for sleeping through three alarms this morning. It also hit home because I witness this lack of responsibility (myself included) all around me from peers who fail to study when not provided study guides; individuals who cannot give someone their undivided attention for more than three minutes; people who profess their love for their significant others on social media but fail to spend a present moment with them; people unhappy with work; individuals offended on the left and right; and those who choose to be grumpy, narcissistic, and rude "because of so-and-so" .

It is getting kind of old.

There is absolutely nothing that you have to do today. What happens throughout the course of your day is up to the choices and decisions that you make. Live in the moment and own up to it.