Excerpted from The Responsibility Process by Christopher Avery.

Upsets tick us off. It is hard to read “every upset is an opportunity to learn” and think oh joy. So ponder this a little more. Upsets trigger The Responsibility Process. If you have dedicated yourself to a responsibility practice, then you know the game is to catch yourself coping and get yourself to Responsibility. Doing so always results in learning and growth. Yes, you may become aware of something unpleasant that you wish wasn’t true, and there will be discomfort and something to Confront. That is how we grow.

I don’t want you to experience upsets. But I do want you to know that growth comes from overcoming challenges that cause you angst. To truly believe that every upset is an opportunity to learn means progressing from the fear of anxiety to embracing it because it signals an opportunity for breakthrough. So if you can reframe frustration and upset from a negative thing to simply an experience that triggers an opportunity for newfound freedom, choice, and power, you will be rewarded.

Responsibility Practice

Think of a current upset you are experiencing. What opportunity to learn is it providing?

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Christopher Avery, “The Responsibility Process guy”, founded The Leadership Gift™ Program to make world-class personal leadership development accessible to individuals worldwide. His books include The Responsibility Process and Teamwork Is An Individual Skill.