Ownership

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I was watching Vanessa Fitzgerald’s stories as she was on a walk. She was explaining to those of us on the other side of the camera that she had felt sort of in a funk. She then said something along the lines of, “We always find something to blame, but I knew it was up to me.” Ownership.

This word keeps coming up. I am currently reading Jocko’s Extreme Ownership. It’s this idea that no matter how bad the circumstances can be, we decide what we do.

Vanessa said she woke up, and decided to eat well, pulled out her journal and sorted through her feelings, she went outside and moved her body. She decided.

Erwin McManus often says that the most spiritual thing we can do is choose. Every choice is a spiritual act because everything is spiritual. When we choose life and elevation, there is an effect. There is also an effect when we choose the opposite. And while not everything is in our power, we have the agency to not be victims and make our next move. (Thank God for that).

I am reflecting a lot on ownership; even in the small things we often ignore as part of routine. What does it mean to take extreme ownership over my life?

Today, it meant working out for two hours, cutting out my commute, resting, walking for a while. Sweating, and then, taking the time to care for my hair. It meant taking supplements that will help me feel better. It meant preparing something fun for my other website. It meant not skipping meals because I am too busy. It meant avoiding caffeine to get energy from somewhere else.

We cannot sit and let life happen to us. We have to happen to life. (And this is not for the faint of heart. Life is hard. Jocko is a Navy SEAL officer. His book hits home. He knows more hard than most of us will ever know. One decision could mean death for an entire team.) We all face our own trials. I was listening to a podcast on those who experience constant chronic pain, and it said how easy it is for people in these situations to be depressed. Life is hard. Every day, we will need something different, and it’s our responsibility to make sure we get it. Even when it gets hard. Especially, when it gets hard.

Agency is not given. We don’t have to wait until someone gives it to us. We have it inherently. What it can be is given up. But that is a choice.