Why Not You?
December 8th, 2005 by Steve Pavlina
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Are you one of those people who notices the problems of the world and says one of the following:
- Somebody ought to do something about that.
- Where are the people that are supposed to be handling this?
- Surely with all the tax dollars being spent, somebody is in charge of fixing this.
- Why doesn’t somebody do something about that?
Why not you?
If you feel a strong urge to see a problem fixed, then why not act on it? Surely your whining and complaining isn’t helping, is it?
“It’s too big,” you say? It’s supposed to be too big. Tackling challenges that are too big for you is what makes you grow as a human being. Why do you think this problem keeps coming up in your life, staring you in the face? Do you think you’re supposed to ignore it and hide from it and wait for someone else to solve it for you? If you notice it, you own it.
Tackling a problem that’s too big for you is how you live purposefully. It’s the cure for apathy and boredom. So what if you fail now and then? Initially you’re supposed to fail — a lot. That’s how you grow. But with persistence you will make a dent. And with enough conscious denters such as yourself on the job, no problem in the world is unsolvable.
How much longer are you going to settle for less than you’re worth? Do you really think you’re here to consume more and more widgets? Is that what your life is all about?
Do we remember Gandhi for his legal talents? Was Jesus just a carpenter?
If you’re waiting for someone else to solve the problems of the world, then you’re part of the problem. The somebodies who are living on purpose will have to work even harder to compensate for your drain. If you aren’t working on the system, you’re working within it, which means you’re actively perpetuating it.
Responsibility for fixing the problems of the world rests on your shoulders. You can give up control, but you can never give up responsibility.
Why not you?
December 9th, 2005 at 7:26 am
[...] I learn some of the real value of responsibility from Steve Pavlina. “Why Not You?“. December 9th, 2005 @ 03:26 PM • Filed under My Journal [...]
December 10th, 2005 at 1:30 pm
[...] Of course, another timely article to tie into this whole loss of good web sites is Steve Pavlina’s “Why Not You?”. Why not me? Because I need to study—finals are week after the coming one. Because I’m not creative enough. Because I’m not motivated enough. Because I have a slight form of ADD. (Okay, not really, but it sure feels that way, often enough.) [...]