I am the only person responsible for my life: my choices, the way I use my time, my perspective, my beliefs and behaviors.

When I take responsibility for myself, I draw all the power and authority over who I am and what I do right back where it belongs, in me.

I get to walk in my own authority: no one else’s.

I get to accept myself on my own terms: no one else’s.

Who else but me could be responsible for me? To the degree that I relinquish responsibility for my own life to others, I also relinquish authority over my own life.

This also means, of course, that I acknowledge other people’s ownership over their own lives. I recognize that taking responsibility for what belongs to someone else is a means of control.

When I’m not burdened with taking responsibility that does not belong to me, I have the strength to take full responsibility for myself.

This doesn’t mean nobody else matters. It means I recognize that others matter and I respect their autonomy. I don’t pretend to myself that I can save them, fix them, or make them happy. I see my own limits instead of ignoring them. I’m not a monster or a martyr anymore. Instead, I love; I practice GARDEN/notes/Absolute acceptance of situations and people; I focus on caring instead of caretaking.