Isn’t it wonderful when you receive your keys to your first home? What a sensation to say, “welcome to my new home!” It’s very rewarding to take pride in homeownership. I have conducted “First Time Home Buying” seminars in the past and to see the excitement on the people faces because they wanted to own their home rather than rent.
Of course, you will own it completely when you paid off your mortgage. However, you’re not renting, but you’re on your journey to owning the home. As you know, home buying is one of the biggest investments a person can make as it provides shelter and safety for you and your family. More importantly, it is a sense of accomplishment. No doubt this achievement required saving, planning and sacrificing other things but it was so worth it for ownership.
Let’s look at another way of ownership. Let’s say you want a new car or truck. There’s nothing like getting your new car or truck and to inhale that “new car” smell. Again, you prepared your finances to make sure you can pay for the monthly payments. Yes, you decided you are not leasing, using Uber or even the public transportation, but you own your vehicle.
I would like to have us look at ownership in a slightly different way. When I was young, my Father always said, “your word is your bond.” In other words, you will do what you said you will do – yes, you own your words. My Dad would tell the family on the 3rd Friday we will go out to dinner as a family. We were excited because we might have only gone to White Castle, but it was special. My Dad owned those words! I work hard to own my words as well.
When we own our action, it is showing we are accountable and responsible for what we do and say. The old cliche’ “the devil made me do it,” can’t be an excuse because the person has the ultimate power to choose to not do it. In our society today, it sems like a common thing to blame others for our decisions and/or actions. Ok, I get it — that others can influence a person, nevertheless the decision to do something still remains with the person who did it!
Lastly, that’s why it is so important to be mindful of what we say and what we do because there are consequences of our decisions and actions. Think about what you say before you say it and I really like this acronym for THINK:
T = Is it True
H = Is it Helpful
I = Is it Inspiring
N = Is it Necessary
K = Is it Kind
Until next time, Own Your Words!