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By Bruce Burke

Last Updated: 7/13/25

We Always Have Choices: How Taking Responsibility Leads to Better Health

Knowing what you want to accomplish (being healthy and happy) and how you intend to do it (your Blueprint for Success) are important first steps in creating sustainable habit change. But real change begins with taking ownership.

Maybe you’ve set fitness or nutrition goals before. If you’re like most of us, you’ve also struggled to follow through. Why is that? Why do we let life get in the way? Why do we allow other “priorities” to derail us?

Often, the answer lies in our perspective…what we consider “normal.” For many of us, normal means working ourselves excessively and chronically overcommitting. In the end, we often feel trapped and unhappy, but continue the same behaviors because this is the only perspective or paradigm we know. What if there was a “new normal” or a new way of thinking that could keep us on our road to success? Let’s consider a few important concepts that will help you create a “new normal.”


We must care for ourselves before we can care for others.

We’ve all heard the phrase “put your oxygen mask on first.” It’s true. Yet many of us continue to place ourselves at the bottom of the priority list. Caring for ourselves first is not selfish. It is responsible. It allows us to maintain balance, set a strong example, and thrive. Prioritizing our health now, before illness or injury forces us to, ultimately benefits not just us but those we care about most.


We always have choices.

We make hundreds of decisions every day. Some are helpful, some are not. Less-than-ideal choices are part of being human. But if we want to grow, we must own our decisions. Too often, people create roadblocks—time, stress, environment—and shift blame for their health struggles. The truth is that a significant health scare would suddenly make all those roadblocks disappear. What changed? Simply our perspective. What truly matters becomes crystal clear.


Create a new paradigm.

Long-term success in living a healthy, happy life means creating a new, more effective “normal.” This begins with developing a principle-centered paradigm. Just like values such as integrity are not situational, neither should our commitment to caring for ourselves or taking ownership of our choices.

When we consistently make small, principle-based decisions that align with our goals, those decisions add up. They shape our new “normal” and guide us toward lasting success.


This week, and moving forward, use these concepts to help you break through the roadblocks that have held you back. Your new normal starts with the choices you make today.