MSI Press Blog

  There’s a moment in every life when the question shifts from “What happened to me?” to “What do I choose next?” That moment is accountability. Not blame. Not shame. Accountability. It’s the quiet, powerful decision to stop outsourcing your future to circumstance, history, or other people’s choices. 1. Accountability is not guilt—it’s authorship Guilt says, “I messed up.” Accountability says, “I have the power to change direction.” Guilt keeps you stuck in the past. Accountability moves you forward. When you become accountable, you stop waiting for rescue. You stop waiting for permission. You stop waiting for conditions to be perfect. You start writing your own future. 2. Accountability means owning your influence You may not control everything. But you influence far more than you think: Your mindset Your reactions Your boundaries Your habits Your relationships Your environment Your next step When you own your influence, you stop being a character in someone else’s stor...

  A NEW YEAR “May it be done to me according to your word.” --Luke 1: 38     A new year begins. The transition between the past and the coming year invites reflection. We all look back and then forward. Commentators review the best and worst of everything, attempt to discern trends, and make predictions for the coming year. Will it be a  good or bad year--the best of times or the worst of times? Who really knows? Nevertheless, commentators make their prognostications, sometimes with great confidence. Of course, their opinions vary. Many are diametrically opposed, as if they are looking at different universes. I suspect their imagined futures are really a projection of their own idiosyncratic views of themselves and the world. After all, we see others as we are.  As we begin a new year, of course, we take a personal look at our lives. We look back at our regrets and celebrations. Inevitably, our lives have been a mixed bag. We then look to the next year and enter...