Power and Responsibility

I was joking with my spin class on Monday.  They had told me the power of my being the instructor had gone to my head.  I countered with the idea that with power comes responsibility.  That got me thinking about the reverse of the statement.

It is also true to say:

With responsibility comes power.

When you are responsible for the choices you make about your eating, you have all of the power to indulge your desires  --  either the desire to lose weight, the desire to eat delicious food, or both.

When you accept responsibility for making choices about your actions, you have unlimited choices.  My favorite chocolate cake from the Grand Lux  is no longer off limits (even though the slice is big enough for me to eat as a lunch AND a breakfast -- no lie).  I have to be responsible enough not to eat it for EVERY lunch and breakfast -- but then I am empowered to eat it and thoroughly enjoy it when I do.

Power sets you free from feeling like a victim of your choices and their consequences.  You are making conscious decisions about your actions and the outcomes are not forces upon you.

This is a much different approach than a diet where you have no power.  The responsibility of a diet is directed on following the diet and all of your power is given away to a book, guide, or guru.  This leave you feeling powerless both for your decisions (no cake for you!) and for the outcomes.  Not a long-term guide to feeling successful.