Vision, Commitment, and Responsibility

Lifespring president John Hanley once met with graduates from all across the country to discuss the issues of commitment, vision, and personal responsibility. In a series of lively, confrontive meetings, he asked graduates to look inside and see whether they were really willing to do what it takes to make a difference in the world.

What follows are excerpts from these talks.

What stands between you and being in touch with your vision? What is it that gets in the way of you making a difference today?

Vision exists in your heart and in my heart, in your soul and in my soul, and if you and I are not in touch with it this very moment, it is because we have got it covered up. And part of what covers it up is our unwillingness to be honest, responsible, and to operate from integrity in following the basic rules of life.

How do we get back in touch with our vision? One way is to clean up our relationships and jobs and to solve the problems in our lives that are keeping us stuck. Another way is to find an ideal--somebody or something that we can emulate. We have the examples of people like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Mother Teresa, all great visionaries of our time. Finally, we can practice being behind our word until it becomes law.

Many of us go through life seeking to understand the laws of the universe so that we can incorporate them into our everyday lives and have our lives matter. But we don't always use the laws . . . instead, we gather in groups to decide that we are exempt from the rules. And until we are willing to be honest--to operate with integrity and responsibility--our world is in trouble.

Most people would answer the question, "Does my life make a difference?" with "Probably not." As I look around, I see that most people on this planet have spent their lives asking for crumbs. I see people asking for love when there are donors at every street corner. I see people who are struggling with self-identity when the answer is in front of every mirror.

What I'd like to say to people is, "Hey, wake up!" The way the world works is simple and straightforward as long as you and I are willing to take responsibility for the way our lives turn out. Responsibility is the ticket for admission to the game that works in life. Responsibility isn't a burden or a difficult thing once you experience that, like gravity, it just is. Whether you like it or not, you are responsible. You know you are.

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